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680601 Posts in 27601 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 29, 2024, 10:43:06 AM
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151  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Al joining Mike and Bruce for Jones Beach show on: May 10, 2014, 05:57:40 AM
Al needs to pick a side

Maybe he has. That he's playing with Mike & Bruce on July 5th in the US makes it hugely unlikely (but not utterly impossible: these are The Beach Boys, after all) that he'll be going with Brian for the two British Isles shows.

Maybe it's just a one-off. This is a significantly larger show than M&B usually book if I'm not mistaken. Maybe they wanted to make it a little more special w/ Al on board. Maybe Al asked Brian what his touring plans are when they were in the studio and Brian told him to play with M&B since he has nothing lined up at the moment. In other words, maybe it has nothing to do with "picking sides".
152  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Al joining Mike and Bruce for Jones Beach show on: May 09, 2014, 05:40:41 PM
...and look at the picture Live Nation are using for the gig. Doubtful now myself.

http://www.livenation.com/events/363399-jul-5-2014-the-beach-boys

That's the stock photo that Live Nation uses for this booking version of the BB. I wouldn't be too concerned since Jones Beach, the Live Nation venue hosting the event has the same image that I received in a Live Nation e-mail in their promoted FB post: https://www.facebook.com/NikonJBT/photos/a.73597250782.107382.72875365782/10152360992825783/?type=1

You're telling me that someone at Live Nation took the time to list "original members" for two of the bands, but happened to accidentally add the name of a band member who hasn't been part of this configuration...ever? Seems more likely to me that if there are more shows coming up with Al (and/or Dave) coming up, they might still be working up some sort of PR for the future dates.
153  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Al joining Mike and Bruce for Jones Beach show on: May 08, 2014, 03:35:20 PM
Just received a Live Nation e-mail:



The Beach Boys
with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals and
The Lovin' Spoonful

Saturday, July 5
Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

...More to come? Where's David?
154  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BAD press, interviews, etc. on: May 06, 2014, 05:06:03 AM
Gotta admit I'm surprised that nobody besides Billy or I has really responded to the article that Bubbly Waves posted. I mean, it basically has Jeff Beck confirming that the tour with Brian was really shitty and that him and Brian basically had ZERO rapport, despite what Brian's team were trying to make it sound like.

Well the tour itself was fantastic musically so it sounds to me like Jeff just has some sour grapes about his (lack of) personal relationship with Brian. On the other hand, I seem to recall a number of photos of Jeff, Al and David hanging out together on tour, in addition to quite a bit of camaraderie amongst the two bands so I don't think the entire enterprise was as horrible as he makes it out to be.

72 years old and Brian is quiet, reserved and a bit off on tour. Is this shocking to anyone? It's not like Jeff wouldn't know this going into it. I also seem to remember a few occasions where Brian said that he felt intimidated by who Jeff is and what he's accomplished. I'm sure that played into it to an extent. Quite frankly, what's more shocking to me is why Jeff feels the need at nearly 70 to publicly comment on the mental health of someone who has suffered very public mental health problems for the entirety of his adult life. I don't mean that to imply that Brian should be excused for anything, I just don't see the point in publicly commenting on it.

Also, what would you have them do during the tour? Publicly comment that Jeff and Brian aren't getting along while trying to sell tickets?
155  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: California Saga Performing Again on: February 21, 2014, 03:13:54 AM
So 4 out of 5 plus Jeff...That's a start! Smiley
156  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: California Saga Performing Again on: February 21, 2014, 03:01:20 AM
Nelson Bragg recently responded to some of the stories some fans were concocting on Al's FB page:

"#1 Ocean Way studios....#2 Mike didn't/couldn't fire anyone. #3 No 5 man reunion ever again....it's the Mike and Bruce show. nb"
157  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike's Beach Boys will perform on Queen Latifah's daytime talk show tomorrow. on: February 20, 2014, 02:34:29 PM
Al just shared a link to the Queen Latifah show on his FB page with the caption "You never know who else might also show up!"

He also just posted "Congratulations Mike!" on Mike's FB page. A thawing in relations?
158  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: AL & BLONDIE IN NYC AT THE RUBIN ON FEBRUARY 7th on: February 13, 2014, 03:02:31 AM
"Al Jardine, the show's headliner, closed things with his signature Beach Boys' classic, 'Help, Me Rhonda,' before being joined by many of the evening's performers, including Walter Eagan, Richard Barone and Ron Dante (plus a Ringo "look-alike") for a rousing rendition of 'With A Little Help From My Friends.'"

http://www.examiner.com/article/manhattan-s-town-hall-america-celebrates-the-beatles-all-star-concert
159  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: AL & BLONDIE IN NYC AT THE RUBIN ON FEBRUARY 7th on: February 10, 2014, 04:59:47 AM
Nice. Anyone post any videos from the first show? Would love to see those, especially Cabinessence and At My Window, and Where Have All The Flowers Gone.

Although the show was filmed, I wouldn't anticipate any audience videos coming out. The vibe of the room wasn't really "Hold up your iPhone for 5 minutes and record a video". I didn't even feel super comfortable taking photos 5 photos to be totally honest.  Undecided
160  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: AL & BLONDIE IN NYC AT THE RUBIN ON FEBRUARY 7th on: February 08, 2014, 08:53:18 AM
Here are some photos I took:







Most of you will note the total lack of microphones on-stage. The fantastic acoustics of the room rendered them entirely unnecessary and made the whole evening seem that much more intimate. There were, however, room mics above the stage (undoubtedly for recording) and there were people filming the show. Not sure if it was on Al's behalf, the DLF, the museum or all three.
161  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: AL & BLONDIE IN NYC AT THE RUBIN ON FEBRUARY 7th on: February 08, 2014, 05:44:07 AM
Thanks for the update. How did Al sound? Was it a straight acoustic set? Al & a guitar? Any members of Brian's superb band performing with Al & Blondie? How was the venue? Crowd? Well attended? Sorry for all the questions. I'm miffed I couldn't make it. Bad timing for me. Any answers are appreciated

Al sounded fantastic and was in fine spirits. He was playing acoustic guitar throughout the evening, with accompaniment from acoustic bass (not upright), add'l acoustic guitar, light drumming, piano, and some occasional banjo, harmonium and accordion. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like sitting around a campfire with a bunch of friends, one of whom happened to be Al Jardine. The performance was loose with people coming on-stage as the songs required.

The very deep cuts were a treat and I especially enjoyed A Postcard From California. There are some songs that you gain a deeper appreciation for after hearing live and this was one of them.

I was particularly impressed that Al did Cabinessence. That's not an easy song to pull off and after a quick false start, came out sounding great, with Mary Ann even providing some of the backing vocals. After giving a bit of background on the meaning of the song, Al touched on the historical impact of the railroads on society and then pivoted towards a bit of modern environmental concerns (as it relates to coal shipment and the rails).

He spoke briefly about the David Lynch Foundation and what they're trying to do (the show was a benefit after all). It really sounds like a fine organization and I'm looking forward to learning more about them in the future.

I'd love to see Al do more of these types of performances in the future. Maybe they could work a 5-7 song acoustic set into future BAD shows, or do some smaller, stripped down (and more affordable) acoustic shows on off-nights in markets that offer more intimate venues. We know how great Al can sound in such a setting and I'll bet Brian's singing would step up significantly as well, given the lower volumes and improved monitoring situation (ex. Rolling Stone acoustic performance during C50).

Thanks to all that made this wonderful night happen!
162  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: AL & BLONDIE IN NYC AT THE RUBIN ON FEBRUARY 7th on: February 07, 2014, 08:20:40 PM
Wanted to bump this thread to see if we have any early reports from attendees?

Just from memory, some of the songs (in no particular order):

Wake The World
At My Window
Cabinessence
Sail On, Sailor
Transcendental Meditation
Postcard From California
Waves of Love
Help Me, Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Where Have All The Flowers Gone

Hopefully someone else can help me full in the blanks. There was also a Vega-Tables tease!
163  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: New Mike interview in HuffPost on: October 23, 2013, 05:19:24 PM
What I don't get is why accentuating the negative is so enjoyed by a few Brian Wilson fans when the man is having the most productive year of his solo career, or possibly even his entire career. Three albums in the pipe, a megastar supergroup double bill show with most of the Beach Boys not named Love and Johnston, a major biographical movie, and an autobiography in the works. If the reunion tour had continued, many of those things would not be happening due to time spent doing that tour. Why dwell on interviews with Mike Love, or the fact that the reunion tour didn't continue?  

Exactly! And even when the reunion tour was in full swing, there were "fans" too concerned with noting how much more applause Brian got over Mike to truly enjoy the moment.....  

I want to clarify: making fun of Mike is one thing and is usually hilarious, but it's the trying to historically "prove" (for whatever vague reward) that Mike is an asshole is what gets me. Move on, man. It's been almost 50 years....... Brian's moved on.

I can't speak for anyone else but I wasn't trying to prove that Mike's an asshole. I was trying to prove that he has had an incredible life with unbelievable accomplishments, too often harping on the wrong things (IMO) when talking. Both he and Brian tend to be on auto-pilot when reflecting on their careers and accomplishments. It's a shame that we don't get more depth out of them. I'd be curious to read the rest of the interview that this was excerpted from to see what else he has to say.
164  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: New Mike interview in HuffPost on: October 23, 2013, 04:58:24 PM
Possibly helping to name Pet Sounds. - That's great, Mike, but you didn't write Pet Sounds.

Helping with the lyrical direction of the bridge to Back In The U.S.S.R. - That's great, Mike, but it's hardly Penny Lane. It's Paul McCartney doing a pastiche of an early, formulaic Beach Boys sound that Mike could write in his sleep.

Kokomo was a #1 record!!! - Okay, Mike was a co-writer (responsible for the chorus only) and it was on the soundtrack of a fairly successful movie (which it was written for) that helped propel it to #1. It's a good pop song, but not exactly a high watermark of creativity for the Beach Boys that we look back on.  

Now, those three accomplishments are significantly more impressive than anything I've ever accomplished and I don't mean to take anything away from his life's work. But, he tends to share these three accomplishments in interviews and on-stage as if they somehow put him on equal creative footing with Brian. It sounds ridiculous to anyone that has even a modicum of knowledge about the Beach Boys creative output and more importantly, makes Mike appear to be overcompensating.

If all he talked about was his commitment to touring 100+ shows a year, being one of the most recognizable frontmen in rock and roll history, regularly making himself available to fans, his considerable amount of charitable work and the attention that he has brought to environmental causes, no one would have any problem with that (provided he does so with humble tone!). He should be very comfortable and proud of his life's work. He's the lead singer (and occasional lyricist) on music that helped define a time and a place in history. He's one of very few people that can say that in this world. Isn't that enough? But don't talk about writing the chorus to Kokomo as your big life achievement. Don't talk about possibly naming Pet Sounds as though it's a great artistic achievement that we should be stroking our chins to and saying, "Ah, that Mike Love, he's pretty clever with the words."

His obsession with those accomplishments in particular often overshadows all of the other very impressive and respectable things that he has done in his career which is a shame.

Now, the way he talks about the Wilson's addiction problems to the point of disparaging them, while glossing over the underlying causes (mental health problems and abusive parenting), is a different conversation altogether...

The above post is EXACTLY why I am a Mike "apologist" ..... We can't have five minutes around here without someone stating, as though it's all being said for the very first time, stuff like above, and the silly carousel keeps on turning.

Surely five minutes had passed between my posting and someone else posting the same things?
165  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: New Mike interview in HuffPost on: October 23, 2013, 05:15:50 AM
Possibly helping to name Pet Sounds. - That's great, Mike, but you didn't write Pet Sounds.

Helping with the lyrical direction of the bridge to Back In The U.S.S.R. - That's great, Mike, but it's hardly Penny Lane. It's Paul McCartney doing a pastiche of an early, formulaic Beach Boys sound that Mike could write in his sleep.

Kokomo was a #1 record!!! - Okay, Mike was a co-writer (responsible for the chorus only) and it was on the soundtrack of a fairly successful movie (which it was written for) that helped propel it to #1. It's a good pop song, but not exactly a high watermark of creativity for the Beach Boys that we look back on. 

Now, those three accomplishments are significantly more impressive than anything I've ever accomplished and I don't mean to take anything away from his life's work. But, he tends to share these three accomplishments in interviews and on-stage as if they somehow put him on equal creative footing with Brian. It sounds ridiculous to anyone that has even a modicum of knowledge about the Beach Boys creative output and more importantly, makes Mike appear to be overcompensating.

If all he talked about was his commitment to touring 100+ shows a year, being one of the most recognizable frontmen in rock and roll history, regularly making himself available to fans, his considerable amount of charitable work and the attention that he has brought to environmental causes, no one would have any problem with that (provided he does so with humble tone!). He should be very comfortable and proud of his life's work. He's the lead singer (and occasional lyricist) on music that helped define a time and a place in history. He's one of very few people that can say that in this world. Isn't that enough? But don't talk about writing the chorus to Kokomo as your big life achievement. Don't talk about possibly naming Pet Sounds as though it's a great artistic achievement that we should be stroking our chins to and saying, "Ah, that Mike Love, he's pretty clever with the words."

His obsession with those accomplishments in particular often overshadows all of the other very impressive and respectable things that he has done in his career which is a shame.

Now, the way he talks about the Wilson's addiction problems to the point of disparaging them, while glossing over the underlying causes (mental health problems and abusive parenting), is a different conversation altogether...
166  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian with Jeff Beck Fall Tour Dates on: October 15, 2013, 08:41:36 PM
If memory serves...

Hearts
California Girls
Sail On, Sailor (w/ Blondie)
Wild Honey (w/ Blondie)
Full Pet Sounds album
Good Vibrations
Help Me, Rhonda (w/ Blondie)
I Get Around (w/ Blondie)
Fun, Fun, Fun (w/ Blondie)

Brian was in great voice and an even better mood. Also, Blondie was introduced as a Beach Boy. I fully expect a headlining tour w/ these four next year.

This is insanity!!! Unbelievable. I can't imagine actually being there for that. Who announced that they were going to play the full album? Did Brian take Mike's leads on That's Not Me and Here Today?

They did Wouldn't It Be Nice and then Al got on the mic and said, "What do ya say Bri, wanna do the full Pet Sounds album?" and they teased it a bit and then Brian announced it. Jeff did Don't Talk and Wibn, with Brian handling the rest of the leads, Al occasionally doubling. Brian even did a bit of falsetto!!!
167  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian with Jeff Beck Fall Tour Dates on: October 15, 2013, 08:35:00 PM
If memory serves...

Hearts
California Girls
Sail On, Sailor (w/ Blondie)
Wild Honey (w/ Blondie)
Full Pet Sounds album
Good Vibrations
Help Me, Rhonda (w/ Blondie)
I Get Around (w/ Blondie)
Fun, Fun, Fun (w/ Blondie)

Brian was in great voice and an even better mood. Also, Blondie was introduced as a Beach Boy. I fully expect a headlining tour w/ these four next year.
168  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian with Jeff Beck Fall Tour Dates on: October 15, 2013, 08:22:43 PM
Don't be rude, Donald  Wink

If they did Pet Sounds live now that would be some historic sh*t. I demand evidence in the form of shaky youtube videos and I demand it NOW.

Just left the show a little while ago - Pet Sounds in its entirety. Full info when my phone isn't about to die...Brian owned the stage tonight. Blew his Westbury performance away and that's saying something...
169  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian with Jeff Beck Fall Tour Dates on: October 14, 2013, 06:50:02 AM
When the heck is Al gonna step up and start singing his part in Surf's Up?? C'mon son!

That would be cool. I recall that someone who attended one of the soundchecks later in the "C50" tour said they watched the Beach Boys rehearse "Surf's Up" (with Totten on lead), and Al sang his part as on the original record. I'm guessing on the current Brian tour, because it's Brian's song, and he otherwise isn't prominently figuring into the peformance since Beck is doing the main melody line, they have Brian singing that part so that he is more a part of the performance. Just a guess.

From my vantage it looked like Al sang it at the Westbury show, but his mic was low in the mix for that particular song so it wasn't super audible.
170  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian with Jeff Beck Fall Tour Dates on: October 13, 2013, 05:10:18 AM
I won't touch on any of the set stuff since the other two posts have it covered but I do want to comment on something far more striking (at least to me). I've seen Brian 7 or 8 times now, most recently at the AC show, and last night in Westbury was far and away the best I've ever heard him outside of a studio. In addition to having zero pitch problems the whole night, the overall timbre of his voice seemed much smoother than usual. He also looked noticeably slimmer and happier than I've seen in awhile, smiling and "conducting" throughout the entire set.

I'm guessing that all the exercise he's been talking about in interviews lately is helping his lung capacity a bit (among other things), which could account for the improved singing. Plus, the musicianship of JB and his band is probably making Brian up his own game as well.

Overall, one of the best shows I've been into in years and yes the billing of these two very different groups definitely "worked". There's clearly a lot of respect and fondness between the two men, which probably doesn't hurt either. Right before the group took a bow Brian got up from his seat, went over to Jeff and gave him a big hug.

Hoping the Beacon will be as good!

 

171  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: 50th Anniversary live double CD up for pre-order on Amazon on: May 22, 2013, 04:56:50 AM
Just a few thoughts on this as I've been following this thread with some interest...

I've been listening to the Spotify stream the past day with various set-ups: MacBook Pro laptop speakers, iPhone earbuds, AKG K240S headphones and Mackie HR824s.  While the auto-tuning is noticeable in spots, most of it's not because of auto-tune "artifacts" (these occur when the retune speed is set too fast, often used for effect, not function), but simply because Mike, Brian and Jeff's pitch is a little too perfect. The one song that had the tell tale artifacts to me was Mike's vocals on the first verse of "Don't Back Down". As far as those that claim the compression inherent in digital streaming "brings out the auto-tune", that's just not correct. In some cases, the slap back delay that they used on the vocals (probably used to mimic the doubling of vocals on early albums) accentuate some of the pitch correction. A slap back like that is commonly used as a technique to give vocals some energy and sit better in a mix. There's a reason that John Lennon was so in love with it, after all.

Audio compression (for file size and streaming purposes) often has an impact on stereo imaging, subtle loss of certain high and low frequencies, etc. but it doesn't accentuate auto-tuning. Now, if these files were mastered differently for digital download/streaming we could be talking about compression in the sense of dynamics and eq'ing for ear buds, but that shouldn't really have any effect on the perception of vocal tuning.

The Heroes and Villains vocal is not from BWPS. It is, however, double tracked and likely a comp of various shows with a bit of pitch correction done to tighten things up. The timbre of Brian's voice from the opening is very different from what's on BWPS. There's a lot less power behind his vocals when comparing the two and you can hear a bit more of the "softening"  that characterizes his live vocal delivery the past few years.  

You can blame Joe Thomas for being heavy-handed with the pitch correction in spots but I can assure you that Brian was 100% behind his efforts. Here's a quote from Brian discussing pitch correction (http://www.emusician.com/news/0766/another-day-peering-into-the-creative-genius-of-brian-wilson/139364)

"Electronic Musician: Do you prefer the digital way of recording to the old days of analog?

BW: Yes, because you can make pitch correction a lot better."

I encourage everyone to read the rest of that article as it's an excellent insight into his modern creative process and has some great perspective from Scott, as well. As noted, I think more likely what we're hearing in spots are vocal comps (there were a whole lot of shows to comp a perfect vocal from!), some auto-tuning and in the case of Mike, some of his natural vocal delivery. He's always had some unique methods of moving between certain intervals, anyway.

As far as the "random crowd sounds", while they sound out of place on this CD the crowd noise "swells" were 100% consistent with the shows that I went to on this tour. Most of the venues had video screens and more often than not, the crowd would react to what was on the screen. Take a listen to the organ solo on "Catch A Wave". Just as it starts we hear a swell of audience noise. This was probably from the camera man cutting to Darian or Scott playing or from Mike having one of his ridiculous "make a face, smile and point" moments and it happened to be caught on camera and put on the screens. It could've been minimized a bit by turning down the crowd mics but it also may've been picked up in the stage mic'ing. The other explanation is that they were also mixing to video in prep for the DVD/BR release later this year and it didn't strike anyone that, "Hmm, this might sound weird without the visual cues when we put this out on CD."  

Just my .02. Smiley
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