How about 'Roller Skating Child'? What pictures did you have in your mind when you wrote that?
Brian: "Just a vision of someone that could rollerskate and would like to rollerskate.

I KNEW it!   

Also, I just noticed that the question I asked is identical to lee's question. Sorry lee (but hopefully it doubles our chances of an answer). 

Thanks for doing this, guys! And smart way to structure the Q&A to keep it manageable. Very psyched to see what we get from Brian.

Brian, what is your favorite memory from making/recording the Friends album? You've called it your favorite album in the past, so would love to hear any fond memory you might want to share. Many thanks --Jon

Brian, thank you for the decades of great music. Very excited for the new album.

Best wishes,

Jon  

Happy belated birthday, Van! Funny to see this just now, as today I pulled Song Cycle out for the first time in ages and was enjoying it.

We added HERE TODAY and HEROES AND VILLAINS.

Scott

  Great choices!

"New renditions of older songs"

What does this mean; new renditions of other artists songs (covers) or new renditions of older Beach Boys songs?

Presenting Mike Love's new rendition of Our Prayer -- now with more accessible lyrics.

An issue might be, whether there is some alternative means of verifying "independently" whether the band members played on this.  Is it possible the union kept any kind of records?

There's an AFM contract listing the musicians for that session as Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike & David.

And, there's Frank Devito's recollection of playing on the session with The Beach Boys (not other session players) - Devito was paid with a check from Murry, hence the absence of his name from the AFM contract - plus David's recollection of playing on the session (rhythm, plus the descending low staccato slides in the fade), and his clear recollection of playing the date with Devito, and his assertion that Carol Kaye never played a Beach Boys session while he was with the group. Finally, at the end of the unfaded "Surfin' U.S.A." session tape, Brian's voice can be heard in the background exclaiming, "That's it, Carl got it!" - obviously indicating his pleasure with Carl's guitar solo.

There's only one vowel difference between Carl and Carol.

Just sayin'....

 

I was thinking the same thing. Let's listen to that session tape, it could be a game-changer!   

Loving these reviews and commentary. Dying to see the broadcast eventually! Thanks all.   

Nate Reuss fuckin' killed "Hold On, Dear Brother".
Killed it dead.
Fucking dead.
Holy sh*t.

Oh mah gawd.   

Too cool.  And can't wait to hear the new songs!

This is totally something special. Stay tuned.

Out with it!

+1   

Al Jardine, Matt Jardine, Blondie Chaplin, Ricky Fataar, Billy Hinsche...all of them on stage playing music with Brian Wilson in 2014.

Strip away all biases, all tendencies to gravitate toward one "camp" or another, and consider: Isn't THIS worthy of some attention, some fan excitement, some level of "that's really cool" kind of sentiment?

Yes.

Why, they are cheapening the very idea of a TV special from Las Vegas!

Ah, I found what was referencing on the Hoffman board ( http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-beach-boys-soulful-old-man-sunshine-whats-up-with-the-sound.276506/page-2 ):

"In my interview Rick said that the instrumental session at Sunset was painful because, wanting his own sound, he elected to contract a bunch of L.A. jazz cats that he knew instead of the usual crew of Beach Boys session musicians, and they couldn't grasp the pure simplicity of a basic rock shuffle. Rick said that the vocal sessions were equally painful, as the Beach Boys were skeptical -- agreeing to participate because of Murry's insistence and Brian's participation in the songwriting, but reluctant due to to the involvement of an outsider, and due to Rick's relationship with Murry. Rick recalled that every time Carl would attempt the lead vocal, Mike would dance around in front of him doing a "Vegas lounge singer shuffle" across the floor, cracking Carl up and ruining the take. Eventually Rick had too much of it and blew up -- which basically resulted in the group saying "f-you" and walking out. Carl's vocal on the bridge (where he flubs) was a scratch vocal, and he never came back to replace it."

To properly credit it, that interview with Rick Henn was done by me, for ESQ.  The post on the Hoffman board was also by me.

Lee

Love this story.   

Less than five hours to go! Super excited. Anybody else attending tonight?

Have a great time!   

Can't wait to see that setlist!   

I wonder what Mike's contributions to Darlin were exactly, as the credit reads (and has always read) Brian Wilson/Mike Love.

I know it was a re-jig of an earlier song by Brian/Mike called Thinking About My Baby (or something) ..... but was it re-written by Brian and Mike, or just Brian? .... Either way, with Mike having been a partial creator of the song in question, we can perhaps understand his apparent irritation a bit more.

This seems a reasonable point to me too. 

I still love that story Al told about “apologizing” about Mike to George and Ringo at the R&R Hall of Fame ceremony.

I wasn't familiar with that, so I googled & read it. Now I love it too.   

Thanks for the link... this is new to me too. Towards the end is kinda funny -- "why yes, my garage just happens to be full of old guys!"

I love the Love You album glimpsed at :59.   

I always thought that the title track should open the album, and Think About the Days should have been track 9, signifying the change into the amazing final three tracks.

That's an intriguing idea. Personally I don't like the title track quite enough to make it Track 1, but Think About the Days would have been a perfect opener to the suite at the end.

Thanks for this. Love it!   

Hey guys, just got back from watching the movie...and I gotta say, it was amazing!

Great review, thanks for this! Very psyched to see the film.

I think the SS/WH twofer suffers from bad liner notes totally downplaying the music's overall brilliance.

Wow, funny you mention that. Couldn't agree more!

I've often thought many of the late 60s/early 70s twofers had substandard liner notes, but Smiley Smile/Wild Honey has to be one of the worst offenders. There are a number of negative asides regarding the songs and production, and how far short they fall of the high standards of Pet Sounds etc. I feel almost like they're apologizing to me for having sold me the music.

Happy birthday, Al. All best wishes!