Worth it.  There is a new thread up called New Mini-Review and Mark Linett Comments On the Box Set.  After reading that, thinking maybe why Sunflower sounds so different on some of the tracks.  Thought he might be using the old quad-mixes.  Some of Bruce's vocal leads sound different too.  Both sound great, like the other 2012 releases (got ASL, Today, SDandSN, Party & SS) and another to add to a crowded shelf.  Another tool to use on comps.  Thanks for the info Wirestone.  drbeachboy, where did you read the Boyd interview?  I'm still studying the MIC tracks.  It'll take awhile.  All the changes...must be why the thing cost so much.  Still, I want More.

 dellydel,  Thanks for the info. RE: Never seen that one before...  

  Welcome 

Hey bluesno1fann,    My, we joined at about the same time.  Bubbly Waves too, and you are both near 300 posts!  I have less than 10 - I've been reading (and learning) here for over 3 years before deciding to post - humble it ain't.  I even commented on one of your posts last night, before seeing you'd stopped by my welcome.  There are a lot of smart people here.  But, some of them bite.  Check out "surfers" posts, and you will see what I mean.  Lots of Trolls and Snarks about in these woods.  Be cool, and research research research.    

I wouldn't even call this "Lounge" - this is what was piped into every grocery and department store in the '50's and early '60's, and Murry was late for the dance with most of this.  I can't even give it 2, 1 is enough.  I don't own it.  Not trying to hurt anyone's feelings now, Some of it is pleasant.  My mama blasted Ferrante and Teicher and Roger Williams, and I'm a John Barry and Stephen Sondheim fan for it.  Sondheim, those discs he put out with just him at piano and singing back in the '40's thru the '60's - that's heavy "Lounge"  Oh, and I'll mention Jimmy Webb, Have all his stuff - Richard Harris, the 5th D, the Rhino Box.  All of it.  That's why I love what Brian was doing with Adult/Child and Love You.  Reminds me I need to go comment on the new Webb deal with Brian, last time I looked it was taking a beating.  Mine is still in wish list (MIC was a real hit).  You know, Brian gets lots of offers to be a part of other peoples projects, he only takes a few.  But, back on topic.  If you want to get into this for real, go out and find Jimmy Smith records.  Or even better, Brian Auger in the early '60's - he won pop polls for this kind of stuff.  And, much hipper.  That's "Lounge"   I like Heartbreak Lane, Just 'Round the River Bend, and as you say Islands in the Sky.  But this is like 101 Strings or Welk, and his Happy bubbles, I don't think Brian was influenced by it.  Happy Song is a Polka.  And Italia is a rip on Third Man Theme  - when did Al write this?  More importantly, did Murry have a bubble machine in the studio?  You can just see the wife and kids sitting around listening to this.  "Yes dear, we all loved your Love Won't Wait, we loved them all, now off to bed."

I liked what Roger The Shrubber had to say.  He lined them up as tracked.  Sheriff John Stone, DonnyL and Billy too.  I agree.  There are no bad tracks, but the rule says order -so order I will.  This record had power under the needle and lots of soul.  

1.  Cuddle Up - Dennis didn't get any better than this, as good, but not better.

2.  You Need A Mess Of Help - Carl's vocal is fantastic.  The tack piano, perfect.  I did a mix-tape with Please Let Us Go On This Way as a follow.  Worked well.

3.  All This Is That - What happened to this Mike?  He had such a gentle soul.  I saw them play this back in the '70's, and it's hard to believe they bettered it last year - I'll have to check Youtube.  I miss Carl, very very very much.

4.  Make It Good - I saw someone say "a tone poem" yes, that fits.  I hear Wagner in this too.  Even Beethoven.  Love the way the music goes up and up.  This is where they should have put (Wouldn't It Be Nice to) Live Again.  And some of the other stuff Dennis was doing in his solo sessions.  I'm working on a mix-tape now - MIC is a great tool. They could have been much more progressive with this project.  In my top ten favorite Dennis numbers.  It did not bother me that he wrote so many love songs, the Wilson's were soul love.  And, when he wanted, he would hand off the vocal to Carl, even when he could do it just as well.

5.  He Come Down - Yes Yes Yes, this Rocks!  So hard to put this, and the rest, at the end of the list.  The Gospel, according to Brian.  And Mike, Al and Blondie.  They are all soulin'.  The Beach Boys Maharishi-Sanctified Heavenly Chorale indeed.  I love all the TM tracks through this period, '68-'72.  

6.  Marcella - oh, man all the way down here.  Really good live.  And remember all you Jack haters, he helped write this.

7.  Her She Comes - Love the drums up front.

8.  Hold On Dear Brother - There may be a reason that these last two are making the bottom of most lists...But not because Ricky and Blondie didn't put their heart and soul into them.  How many times did I use the word soul doing this?  Not enough.

     The vocals on this record are some of the very best they ever recorded.  I'm sure Brian, and all of them were very proud to present this.  Then it sunk like a stone.  I prefer to say that rock  skipped ever so lightly over the waves.

One of my favorite albums by the band, and IMHO criminally underrated. There's not a track I don't like. The album may be disjointed, but IMHO it shows each facet of the band's sound. I just wish Brian's vocals on the three songs he was on were mixed louder. I actually prefer this to Surf's Up...the highs on this album don't reach as high, but there's not a track I skip.


 He Come Down- Much like 'Anna Lee The Healer', the piano on this cut makes me think of Vince Guaraldi.

           Whoa,  Billy - Vince Guaraldi.  Cool for Cats - Dougie, Let's Dance that Boogie-Woogie!  Are you into bossa nova/samba as well?

 Tanks    for dropping by Mikie,       1973-'75, those were mellow years in my life.  I lived in Brookdale, on Alta Via Drive about half way up the mountain.  I Google Earth-ed it last night and see it now looks very run down, so does the Lodge.  Never understood why they called it "Drive", 'cause you still can't get more than one car down it without the other pulling over. The health-food store is still standing too.  I often vacationed in Santa Cruz after I moved up to The City, but not after the earthquake.  Broke my heart what that did.  I love where I live now.  Love having seasons.  Had a cool easy summer, and it's going into fall early this year.  Take care buddy, see you on the boards.

Thanks SMiLE Brian    I see you were just at that positive Mike thread.  I'm on my way back over there.  I like Mike.  Well, liked him better before he shot his mouth off
about Dennis at the Circle Star in '81.  Nice to have you stop by.

John,    Will again.  Noticed you had your own forum across the pond.  I joined using my same info as here.  Oh, and to clarify for those not in the USA, Carmel is the California one.  A groovy place.  I lived for a few months in Pacific Grove near there.  And yes, Clint Eastwood was very visible... the everyman mayor.  John,  update.  I'm in!  All is well       Edit:  I've been checking out some of your posts.  You are a smart guy - keep it up!  I'm learning something here...

Thanks John         Strange my first post was on a Band thread.  Caught my eye yesterday.  I moved to the Woodstock area back in 1998, after living in San Francisco for 19 years.  I'm semi-retired and this place is nice.  Lots of artists live here, though Woodstock itself is really no different than say Carmel - rows of trinket-shops, with a hippie slant.  Keep hoping to run into Donald Fagen in a grocery store or something, Libby got him to move up here.  I grew up in a country setting, Northern Louisiana, and wanted to come back to a peaceful place to grow old.  Before you say oh no, it wasn't so bad, America in the 50's and 60's was great about everywhere.  But, soon as high school was over (1970) I went straight to California, by October I was on the beach in Waikiki.  After five months I had to come back home for college, but then in 1973 I moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains.  The Beach Boys avoided the south after that '68 tour. Finally I got to see them at Winterland in 1973, and at The San Francisco Civic in '74.  Winterland was the best - one of my very favorite records is Carl and The Passions.  I really need to go back and put more info in my "Hey Everybody"... eh, later.  I want to post more, but lurking is more fun.  Before I go...I forgot to thank Chuck for keeping this site up.  Thanks Chuck, you should post more, but if not we'll always have Brian - Live at the Handlery Hotel 1990, what a laugh.  Let's Smile.

Richard got my vote - voice and beard.  Only Stevie Winwood could equal his Ray Charles.  Great falsetto too.  Cahoots is not a snooze.  It came after three stunners, and Robbie was trying to write about something more than just songs of the south.  It was their last record of original material made in the Woodstock area, at the Bearsville Studio.  They went on to make some great music after this, but the power shift changed things.  Let's leave it at that.  Cahoots had power under the needle.  The Moon Struck One is my favorite.  Shoot Out in Chinatown and 4% Pantomime (boy, wish they would have taken advantage of having Van at Winterland to do it) are brilliant.  Smoke Signal and Volcano worked even better live, as did When I Paint My Masterpiece and The River Hymn.  And, this is when Robbie approached Allen Toussaint, which led to his help on Rock of Ages - one of the best live records ever.  I got to see the Before the Flood tour with Dylan, but they were even better at the Day On the Green show in Oakland 1974 when they were one of the opening acts, along with Jessie Colin Young and Barnstorm, for CSN&Y's incredible four hour blow-out/bow-out.  I have a DVD boot of the London show, and next year they will make it official.  The Band played for over three hours.  Hypehat, Daniel and the Sacred Harp was born out of a discussion on Sacred Harp, a type of traditional Protestant/Church of England hymnal using four-part singing. IIRC Levon mentions this in The Last Waltz, when he talks about singing "rounds."  But, a round is different than a Sacred Harp.  The group did this often, The Weight is a good example, each taking a turn then all coming in together.  Daniel Read was one of the American leaders (First New England School) of the style.  Garth is a music historian, and could have been the one to first bring it up - though he did not ask for a co-writer credit.  But it was just such what Levon did feel, that the songs were a group effort.   Although Robbie could have just been going for a Biblical reference using Daniel, and Levon adding "blew" his harp, the imagery is most surely the kind of harp an Angel plays - Robbie plays Auto-Harp on it.  Can I resist mentioning Levon changed a word without the appropriate credit?  Nah, can't.  Not when it made you think what he was singing had a completely different meaning.  The song is a parable - Faustian, about greed.  Check with Robert Johnson for more on that.           The track is from my favorite Band long-player, Stage Fright.  Recorded mostly at The Woodstock Playhouse.  Which btw, has now been rebuilt after burning down in 1988.   Will    

Well, let's see if I can do this...  My name is Will Harris.  I first noticed The Beach Boys in 1964, I was 12 years old.  Not too big on the surfin' tunes, but I loved all the car theme tracks.  The trade-off for being old now, meant you got to live through a great time in America.  My cousin was a DJ, and would feed me the popular singles of the day.  Like for most youngsters, that was the "girl groups", "Little" Stevie (early Motown), and of course The Beatles.  The Beatles ruled 1964. But, The Beach Boys were there too.  I was a fan in '64, by '65 I was a fanatic.  The Beatles got all the promotional push from Capitol, from cards to key chains, but The Beach Boys had Brian.  Once he left the road... magic.  As the '60's moved on, the Wilson brothers became very special to me (sorry, Marianne).  As a teen my favorite was Carl, until I learned who was singing all the lead vocals on the ones I liked best.  Yes, yes - Mike and Al were part of the stack, and were there when Brian needed them... but, Brian was all of what was.  Until 1968, but that's to be discussed later.  I do want to give a shout out to Billy (great thread starter), who's help with that "robot thingy" got me here.  And to all the mods, Jason (positive and intelligent), and Klaas & Jonas (I have been lurking here for years, but I hardly know -but for a post here and there).  All good wishes.  signed sincerely,   feelsflow                                     Now, let's see if this will post.