[REALITY CHECK:]

The auto-tune on TWGMTR (exempting the IIT single remix) is actually done very subtly.

I'm guessing you've never listened to "From There To Back Again". Because if you had, you'd not be making that statement. Actually, I don't mind RoboAl, but subtle it ain't.

Now, compared with what Thomas did to the live album, the autotune on Cher's "Believe" is subtle.

I'm guessing you're speaking about the opening line, particularly the "...there's no where else I'd rather be" line.

No, I'm talking about every note RoboAl sings, and my ears aren't as attuned to it as some here.

REALITY CHECK: 1. There are no overly audible retuning artifacts nor are there any interval jumps that sound particularly unnatural. 2. The story that has been recounted is that Al sang it line by line, only expecting to sing one bit in the song. Brian was so impressed that he had Al sing the rest of the verse. If it was that pitchy that it necessitated being that heavily auto-tuned (as some have claimed), would he have wanted Al to sing as much as he did? Brian still complains about the pitchiness on "California Girls". 3. When you're in a studio with a talented singer (which Al is, I think we'd all agree) and a very big budget (which this album had), you don't overly rely on auto-tune to get a workable track. You comp multiple takes to create one unified take. This is a fairly easy process in the world of Pro Tools (or any other DAW) and would take little to no time (once you've got the takes to work with!).

To my ears, it sounds like perhaps a bit of light ADT/tape delay (with some cool resultant stereo imaging) sent to a plate reverb with a very smooth decay. For the multi-tracked harmony ("...thinking bout when life was still in front of you") it sounds like they probably used Vocalign (or manual editing) to tighten up the timing. There may be some auto-tune in use on Al's vocals, but it's nowhere near as bad as anyone is claiming. They used the same processing chain for the rest of the lead vocals in the suite.

If you listen to Al's vocals on the re-recorded "California Saga" on his solo album, his pitch modulation sounds very similar (with a very light slapback delay), but without the reverb and stereo imaging that was used on the suite of TWGMTR, so the vocals are more "up front" in the mix.

Probably Capitol, maybe somebody in Brian's band.

I'm staring to turn. While I was slightly familiar with lana del rays music,while listening to her song "born to die" on the way home from work, I started liking the idea of her voice blending with Brian's.

I'm feeling better about this news

I would like to add to this. For the record , I hate the idea of duets, so I was initially in my WTF mode on this idea.  I wouldn't know Lana Del Ray from Marina Del Rey so I was essentially clueless about her work.  But I love the thought of new idea's , which make things fresh and vibrant. And this is certainly different, that is for certain. But when I hear about "duets"; I tend to vibrate, and not in a good way !  But I ask ; does anyone consider "Sloop" or "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" or "Salt Lake City" or "Kiss Me, Baby , for example, a duet ; or rather , is this just an example of Brian , producing those records, juxtaposing the vocals , changing the dynamic on these great songs ?

I guess what I am saying is that I don't consider this a "duets " album ; for example is Alan singing verse one; Brian singing verse two and Blondue singing verse three a duet ; or is it a Beach Boys trademark  switching off on vocals , changing the dynamic of the production ?

Who knows , maybe everyone will be surprised and will like it , and then we'll have world peace !

Cheers. Ray

Duets can work very well on individual songs. Their biggest failing to me is when you try to string a bunch of them together and there's a total lack of cohesion from one song to another. If they can find a way to make it work cohesively then more power to 'em! In the meantime, I'll reserve judgement until I hear whatever ends up being released.

I hope this is allowed but here...

http://www.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?action=read&id=1402323800.89631&user=bellagio

I for one would be very upset considering i already purchased tickets!

Well this might explain the comment at the AC show over the weekend then...

Since when do producers not have final say or influence on the mix?

They do, but in a project like this, they're probably not the one setting retune times on the auto-tune plug-ins...But it will really vary a lot from project to project and producer to producer.

The auto-tune on TWGMTR (exempting the IIT single remix) is actually done very subtly.

I'm guessing you've never listened to "From There To Back Again". Because if you had, you'd not be making that statement. Actually, I don't mind RoboAl, but subtle it ain't.

Now, compared with what Thomas did to the live album, the autotune on Cher's "Believe" is subtle.

I'm guessing you're speaking about the opening line, particularly the "...there's no where else I'd rather be" line. The tell-tale artifacts of fast re-pitching aren't there like they are on say, the opening line of "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl". Al's performance is pretty tight on this, and there is probably a bit of auto-tune, but it's not what everyone is making it out to be.

Also, Thomas didn't mix either album; he was the producer. The mixing "honors" go to Frank Pappalardo, who handled both TWGMTR and the live album. The auto-tune on sections of the live album, that's a different conversation altogether...

Al's really a class act. Taking a shot at the guy whose lyrics he (Al) was singing on several songs. And, I'll bet Al has no problem cashing those Beach Boys' checks that he was disparaging. I'm surprised Al didn't take a shot at Mike & Bruce's setlist, based on the deep one Al played. Hypocrite.

I'm guessing there's more going on behind the scenes lately as things with the two of them had seemed to be on the mend lately.

I think you're right. That's why it bothers me that Al keeps sabotaging relations. How do think Mike would feel if he heard/read those comments by Al? No good can come out of taking shots at each other.

To be fair, I think the comment came out of his mouth as a somewhat lighthearted joke and he probably didn't realize how it sounded until afterwards. I think Al is eternally getting the proverbial football taken away from him right outside the end zone and regardless of what precipitates it (and I'm sure there's enough blame to go around), I'd imagine that it's incredibly frustrating.

I noticed the Jones Beach gig is billed as "The Beach Boys with Al Jardine and David Marks" on his website as opposed to "The Beach Boys", and I think that probably sums it up right there.

Either way, it was a great show and man, Mac McAnally is one heckuva talent.

[GIOMH]

With the way the record industry works, I don't see how anyone realistically thinks we're getting "3 albums" any time soon.

You mean like when Brian released three albums between 2004 and 2005? Or three albums between 2010 and 2012? Or how it's been stated that he has three albums worth of material with 2 years of recordings done? And how he has a biopic in post-production that will likely need a soundtrack to go with it?

Reality check: GIOMH was largely old material either reworked or re-recorded (mostly in about a month). It also very nearly didn't get released at all. BWPS was overwhelmingly decades old material that had been worked up in concert by the time they went into the studios for two months, tops. WIRWFC, again old material/recordings bar two tracks: total time spent in the studio, eight days. My point, such as it is, is that the circumstances of recording those albums differed greatly from the current project as the current opus has been underway for some 15 months and has changed direction at least twice in that time. Similarly, the Gershwin and Disney albums were both recorded in weeks, not months.

Well yes, those albums (...and TWGMTR in 2011/12) were recorded in different circumstances with source material that varied between fresh and "less fresh". Although I seem to recall you saying earlier in this thread that you believed the current material being worked on is older as well?

Regardless of origin or gestation times, it would seem that there's probably quite a bit of material that's been recorded, likely of differing quality and, at this point, clearly differing styles. But how you got there doesn't necessarily impact what you do once you are there (unless there was a major budgetary impact). Maybe they go through all of it and find 10 songs that reach a certain quality and cohesiveness to warrant a single release. Or maybe they'll go through and separate it into multiple releases, spaced out over X amount of time. We don't really know, since as you've pointed out, this entire "project" has seemingly changed directions a number of times.

If I'm BW's team and I've got a fall tour, biopic and book to promote over the next 1+ years (probably with an abbreviated spring/summer tour as well), I could think of a variety of ways that I'd make use of 15+ months worth of recording (that we're aware of) to maximize money, exposure and acclaim.

What kills me is that there's no finished product to judge yet, as Ray and guitarfool2002 have already spoken about. Let's see where this all goes and judge the final product then.

Also, Fleet Foxes are pretty darn good vocally, but I'd much rather see Brian work (as a producer/arranger) with a band like Band of Horses. They've been a little uneven throughout their career but their songs "On My Way Back Home" and "Infinite Arms" are fantastic...I'd love to hear what he could with them based on those two songs alone.

Al's really a class act. Taking a shot at the guy whose lyrics he (Al) was singing on several songs. And, I'll bet Al has no problem cashing those Beach Boys' checks that he was disparaging. I'm surprised Al didn't take a shot at Mike & Bruce's setlist, based on the deep one Al played. Hypocrite.

I'm guessing there's more going on behind the scenes lately as things with the two of them had seemed to be on the mend lately.

So far we've seen no pictures of Joe at the boards and only pictures of Brian at the boards.

Proof if proof be need be. 

I'm guessing Thomas took those shots. 

Or Melinda or Scott or any other number of people in the studio. ;-)

Mr. Mike Love believes every word he sings. Cars, Surfing, whatever - don't tell me his delivery ain't honest. Enough people in this world pick on the early Beach Boys, we don't need a fan doing it too, do we? That other guy is never gonna like Zooey Desahnel anyhow, you'll never convince him, so no need to humble the Beach Boys in the process!  

Hah! It's true...Mike really does believe every word that he sings at this point, as long as there's no lyric mentioning crows and cornfields. :-) Really, I didn't mean it to negate their accomplishments, just to provide a little perspective!

[which I love.]

I don't agree with your post or the fellow you were arguing with,  I just can't stand to see the classic Beach Boys period used as a reference point for the inauthentic . "Well you think Lana Del Ray Sucks, huh?? How about when the BB's sang abput CARS!?!? "

I didn't even touch on LDR nor did I equivocate one artist sucking with their classic period. I was making a point about "honesty" in delivery. There was an inherent affectation to what they were singing about then. My point was to give a bit of perspective as the affectation in no way detracts from the vocals, melodies, the iconic imagery or the arrangements which I love.

So what did Al say about Mike?

Here's what I heard:

"WHERE'S MIKE?"

"Mike? Let's not talk about him."

"WHERE'S MIKE?"

"Mike...*sigh* Mike's at home recuperating from impersonating the Beach Boys."

Don't get me wrong, this was clearly said in jest, but there was a tinge of bitterness in it to my ears. Anyone else at the show care to weigh in?

So far we've seen no pictures of Joe at the boards and only pictures of Brian at the boards.

Proof if proof be need be. 

Fair enough. :-)

With the way the record industry works, I don't see how anyone realistically thinks we're getting "3 albums" any time soon.

You mean like when Brian released three albums between 2004 and 2005? Or three albums between 2010 and 2012? Or how it's been stated that he has three albums worth of material with 2 years of recordings done? And how he has a biopic in post-production that will likely need a soundtrack to go with it?

It's the Joe Thomas show, let's be honest.

It's also been the Brian show the whole time, with Don Was taking part at some point as well.

There will be attempts at modern radio production that make TWGMTR's autotune pale in comparison.

The auto-tune on TWGMTR (exempting the IIT single remix) is actually done very subtly. There's one particular moment in TLOS where the auto-tune jumps out far worse than anything on TWGMTR. But hey, it's not like there was any pitch manipulation on a single from Brian's magnum opus...or was there? And it's not like Brian has gone on-record with recording magazines stating that he doesn't mind auto-tune...or has he?

One of the things that still blows me away about the BBs is the honestly in their delivery.

Like when they sang about surfing or when they sang about drag racing on songs that were co-written with outside artists (one of whom was a radio DJ)?

Do we all know what the term "affectation" refers to? Zooey, Lana Del Rey, maybe you guys aren't familiar with these artists... Maybe I'll be proven wrong...

Does this sound like an artist out for a Grammy or a radio hit? Or, does this sound like the closing track to an album by an artist who has repeatedly gone on record saying how she's inspired by Brian? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh4l2cubkAQ

Here's an interview w/ ZD talking about the song in question:

Q: There’s also a more choral element to a number of the songs on Volume Two—”If You Can’t Sleep” in particular. What inspired that?

ZD: I have been a harmony enthusiast since I was a child, singing in choir and with friends growing up. I always put a ton of harmonies on my demos. Arranging vocals is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I had recorded a demo of “If You Can’t Sleep” that was all my multi-tracked vocals, so when we went into the studio, we decided to do the same. All of the tracks are my voice and there are something like 20 tracks of just vocals. I wanted it to sound like a string section.

Nightmare Album: Joe Thomas at the boards with his straight out of the 90s drum sounds COWRITING a duets album with a bunch of singers that I don't care about at all.

So far we've seen no pictures of Joe at the boards and only pictures of Brian at the boards. We also know that Brian recently stated he's done working with collaborators other than Scott. And we know that there are shared vocals with Al and Blondie, with Matt Jardine handling a good portion of backing vocals. And we know that he's recorded some vocals with a number of artists that hold him in the highest esteem, much like The Wondermints (as has already been so ably pointed out).

...but trust me, they wouldn't be calling in these artist if it weren't for a Santana style grab at Grammy.

Brian's got two Grammy's. I don't think he feels the need to "grab" another one just to validate his career.

Did Al mention Brian at all?  Anything said that would lead one to believe he'll tour or do any appearances for Brian's future tour?

He mentioned Brian once in the context of re-recording "Help Me Rhonda". No mention of upcoming shows with Brian but after being goaded by an audience member into commenting on Mike, it didn't sound like Al is gearing up for a full tour with M&B either. Perhaps someone else that was in the audience would care to weigh in on it?

It's possible that there are multiple albums lined up with Capitol requiring a duets album as part of the deal. Kind of like how he did the Disney remakes to get the Gershwin album...

Difference is, we knew about the Disney/Gershwin deal from day one. The notion that Brian's singed to Capital for several albums and one HAS to be duets is solely an invention of yours.  

I also said "It's possible", indicating that it was a theory, not a statement of fact. But it's also true that it came out of thin air. Just like most other theories and preliminary reviews of an as-yet unreleased movie and an as-yet unreleased album that we've seen on this board the past few weeks.  I may not be as educated on the band's history or count any of them as friends like yourself, but I am professionally involved in the music industry and have some idea of how this stuff works. I'm not trying to be argumentative towards you or anyone else so please don't take it that way. I'm just trying to steer the conversation away from the somewhat knee-jerk, emotional responses we've been seeing of late, as so eloquently discussed by guitarfool2002.

Anyway, here's what we know:

Brian resigned to Capitol. Brian has an album coming out. We know that in 2 years in the studio, he's involved at least 3 Beach Boys, his usual band, Don Was, Jeff Beck, Joe Thomas and Matt Jardine (who recorded scratch/guide vocals). And a few interviews have now confirmed vocal collaborations with very established pop artists that tend towards the indie side.

What else do we know that Brian is working on?

Brian has a biopic coming out. This is a biopic about a musician so at the very least there will likely be a pop soundtrack and there may also be a release of the actual film score (which is being done by this guy - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1589604/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr9). We've heard from a first person source that Darian is doing a bit of work on the music for the film. I'd guess he's handling some amount of "secretary" duties like he did for BWPS, but that's just a guess. Now, will the other members of BRI allow Brian to license the original recordings for a movie they may not be on board with? Who knows. But I'll bet that the pop soundtrack will be a Capitol release as well and if they don't use the original recordings, then there's more music that Brian and his team will be figuring out.

Finally, note that the end of the RS quote from Brian says, "This project", not "This album". So, when Brian refers to a "project" which has resulted in 2 years worth of studio time logged with a number of collaborators on the production side, a number of vocalists, a variety of instrumentalists and multiple studios (let alone whatever he has setup at home), and potentially a variety of releases/outlets, I don't immediately assume that we're getting a duets album full of songs solely from 1998 or make judgements about the quality of something I've not heard.

Anyway, I'm happy to eat my hat when I'm wrong in 6 months.  

Where there any surprises in the setlist?

Not at all. This was definitely a "comped crowd at a casino" show. I would've been okay with another 15-20 minutes or so but the casino clearly asked them for X amount of time with a strict curtain time. There were shouts for Cottonfields, Welfare Song and a few others, which Al acknowledged, but it was not to be, sadly.

Al playing leads? This I gotta see! Thanks for the report, drummer.

Yeah, he played some leads quite ably. I'd seen him double parts that David was doing at the BAD shows last year...

Al was in a great mood throughout the show, mentioning Carl a number of times and alluding to the fact that the venue was where Carl played his last show with the band before having to leave the tour. There was quite a bit of attention given to Carl, who Al referred to as their "spiritual leader".

The entire band sounded great. Was very impressed by super-sub Royston Langdon (who learned the songs from Ed Carter that week) and filled in quite ably. For those unaware, Royston is in a band named Spacehog (who recorded a massive hit in the late 90s with "In The Meantime") and was also married to Liv Tyler. He also joined Al for the show at the Rubin in NYC. Considering how glam rock Spacehog is, it was a bit of a shock to see him with a beach shirt on!

Also, after last night's show I'm fairly certain that the Jones Beach show will be the only show that Al will be joining Mike and Bruce for in the near future based on some stage commentary.

It's possible that there are multiple albums lined up with Capitol requiring a duets album as part of the deal. Kind of like how he did the Disney remakes to get the Gershwin album...

This is as hysterical as the thread about Love and Mercy set video leaking out...

No one has any idea how the recordings with Zooey or Lana will be used, nor have they heard them and here we are multiple pages in with the word "mess" being thrown around. The only mess I see is the people on this thread!

Maybe some of the material is being used for the film soundtrack as opposed to his solo record. Maybe it was just for backing harmony (a la Taylor Mills). Maybe it was great or maybe it was crap. Either way, calm down!

I don't know much about Lana Del Ray but do know enough about Zooey Deschanel to know she is a massive fan who was probably blown away to be working with BDW. She's done a lot just by being a fan to turn people onto the Beach Boys and that seems like something that most people here would appreciate. I respect her fandom enough to assume that whatever she did was decent enough.

Who is in the Endless Summer Band? Dave Marks, his sons, ex-touring Beach Boys?  He's being mysterious about it.

"Al Jardine and the Endless Summer Band features Matt Jardine on vocals and percussion, Adam Jardine on vocals, Billy Hinsche on keyboard, Ed Carter on bass, Bobby Figueroa on drums, Tom Jacob on keyboard and organ, and Richie Cannata on sax."

- Beachboysfanclub.com

David has been known to join them occasionally for NY-area gigs, so who knows. I would think they'd be advertising that, though.

I'm not going unless the Endless Summer Band is there.

They are. It's gonna be good. :-)

resortsac.com/headliners/event-category

Didn't they open for one of the BAD shows last summer?

It's also entirely possible that there was a last minute change to the script or the order they were shooting scenes in and they simply couldn't source a 1929 Model A Truck with the appropriate look fast enough. These things happen. And again, we have no idea how this will integrate into the final cut of the film. Personally, I try to judge my food by how it looks on the plate and then tastes in my mouth, not how it looks sitting in the oven.

[the]

So... they used the woody just for the few seconds of that clip - and a few promo pics - but not for the actual movie footage, is that what you're saying ? So glad you cleared that up for me.

Who are you responding to exactly? My point was that there may be more to the clip that results in the woody not being used for the "photo shoot" in the film. Maybe they end up swapping it for a truck in the context of the film. Maybe it's not supposed to be what we all think it is (the photo shoot). Or, maybe they screwed up and, having seen the error of  their ways after reading the forum responses, will decide to scrap the entire scene in editing.