Craig -

Great essay and info on POB!  As always, I thoroughly enjoy reading your meticulously researched material.

I do have some info that may be helpful in establishing the POB release date.  In your essay you state:

RELEASE DATE NOTE: Some sources cite September 16, 1977 as POB's original release date,
but there was at least one copy of the album cover displayed by audience members at the Beach
Boys' September 1st Central Park concert, so the album was obviously already in the stores by
then. A much more likely date for the American release is the 22nd of August, which was a
Monday in 1977 (the day new LPs were released in the U.S. at the time). On the other hand, the
16th of September was a Friday...since new albums were released on Fridays in the U.K., it
seems likely the latter date was that of POB's British release.

I just checked my letter archives and discovered, in a letter written Aug. 22, 1977, that I purchased POB (Where? At the Wherehouse) on Friday Aug. 19.  And, as a huge Beach Boys fan, I always made a point of trying to get a new BB (or in this case, Dennis Wilson solo) album the day it was released.   

Although present day lore often states that albums of that era were released on Mondays, I recall that quite a few years ago when I advised Brad Elliot that I had purchased Sunflower the day it was released, on Friday, August 21, 1970, and had a letter I wrote to a friend that day to authenticate the date, Brad replied that at that time there really wasn't an official day of the week in the US during which an album might be released.  Aug 21 was at least 10 days earlier than the earliest generally cited Sunflower release date of Aug 31, with some sources stating the album had been released in mid September.  Brad used the Aug. 21 date in the liner notes of some BB compilation, (I don't recall exactly which one), although since then the stated release date seems to have reverted to Aug. 31.

Another question, has Brian said anything about the American Spring project in recent years (or, for that matter, after it's release)?

Shortly after the release of the Spring album in May 1972, I was listening to the Wolfman Jack show on KDAY, Los Angeles, (live, not on tape or syndicated at that time) when Brian Wilson called in.  He sounded like a wide-eyed little kid and, when referring to the Spring album, kept repeating, "It's better than Pet Sounds, Wolfman."

I don't think either Marilyn or Diane sing on pitch; they sing slightly flat.  Their voices are also thin, weak, and nasal.

I absolutely love Marilyn and Diane's singing on the Spring album.  Many of the songs on that album have been absolute favorites of mine since the album's release in 1972.  The expanded 1988 CD added two more songs that I totally enjoy.  When I mentioned to Marilyn (during the Wilson-Philips days) that I thought Carnie sounded a lot like her, she agreed, and said she thought Wendy sounded a lot like Brian.

Yes, there actually was a European Capitol-EMI promotions man by the name of Dick Reising.  He was known for his ability to create interest in forthcoming (no pun intended) Capitol-EMI releases (no pun intended), but his promotional efforts often seemed to fall short (no pun intended) once a record had actually hit the streets and needed the necessary promotional follow through.  As a result, he was replaced by Capitol-EMI promotions man Big Dick Thrustin.

You do hear interviews as late as 1981 where he seems normal. The one I heard and the several I read from 1973 he seems pretty much his old self if a little muddled. Do you remember what he looked like in 73? Did he have the beard yet? Had he gotten real heavy yet?

Brian did not have a beard at the 4-20-73 concert.  He was wearing a long black coat with white shirt, so his weight wasn't real easy to ascertain, but, yes, he was definitely getting heavier, but not as heavy as he would become. 

Got a new bulb for my slide projector and discovered that Bruce actually played the keyboard at the beginning of the encore, switching to guitar later.  (Looks like either Carli Munoz or Billy Hinsche on keyboards after Bruce switches to guitar.)  As for my only photo of Brian during the encore, it was not a fan's hands obscuring Brian's face, as I had stated previously, but rather Dennis clapping hands (after he had removed his shirt, following Mike's lead) that obscure Brian's face. 

When I scan the slides I'll post a few here, but it's important to remember that they are 1973 quality, with 1973 consumer technology.  Way back then, the highest speed film (at least that I knew of) was Kodak's High Speed Ektachrome slide film at 160 asa/iso.  But, if you purchased a Kodak ESP-1 push-processing mailer, you could shoot at 320 asa/iso, which would at least give a half way decent result in the available light of a concert.  I used my girlfriend's Yashica Electro 35cc camera, which had no zoom lens, and the 320 asa/iso available light setting on a 35mm compact camera often resulted in rather blurry or overexposed subjects.  Still, looking at the pixs this evening, they were a cool piece of BB history.  The last photo, which includes Brian, was actually slide number 39, three past the general limit of 36, and as a result is only 2/3rds of a photo, with the last 1/3 consisting of the adhesive material that's on the end of the film roll.

...and I turned around and all of a sudden we noticed Brian and his wife Marilyn, so we went over and started talking to them.  They were really friendly.  Talked about the new Spring album that will come out on Columbia.

Do you have any more on this? Like every word!

Seriously, what was Brian's demeanor, how did he look, was he "with it"?

How was Brian at the Palladium 4-20-73?  He came across as upbeat and totally normal.  Then again, although I considered him an eccentric genius, responsible for composing some of the most incredibly wonderful music I had ever had the pleasure of listening to, in the spring of 1973 I had absolutely no idea of the true extent of Brian’s mental issues and drug abuse. 

I had the opportunity to talk briefly with Brian on four other occasions after that.  On 4-23-81, at Carl Wilson’s Roxy concert, Brian was once again with Marilyn.  He was upbeat, happy, and, with a huge grin and great exuberance, made a point of reminding Marilyn and showing others at his table that Carnie was pictured on the cover of the Sunflower album with him.  But, it’s entirely possible that “self medicating” with drugs was responsible for the upbeat behavior I witnessed in both 73 and 81.

I next saw Brian at the 7-28-90 ESQ Beach Boys Convention in San Diego.  Overall he was significantly much more subdued than he had been in 73 and 81.  After his performance, BW was seated at a table signing autographs.  My third time thru the line I decided to ask Brian to sign a bootleg Smile CD.  I was one of the last people in line at this time, and upon seeing the CD, with the original Smile cover, Brian had absolutely no reaction to it, other than to sign it while announcing in a loud voice to a couple of his/Landy’s assistants, “This is my last guy, I gotta pee!”  It was a typical comment that one would only expect from a celebrity with the reputation, at the time, of Brian Wilson, or today, from Britney Spears.  (And please clam down if that corollary seems unjustified, but both individuals, as totally different as they are, especially as far as artistic merit is concerned, have earned well-deserved reputations for “unusual” behavior.)

A little over a year later, on 11-3-91, Brain appeared at the UCSD bookstore to autograph copies of his new (and now infamous) book.  When I got to the table, I told Brian that my two favorite Beach Boys songs were his song, “God Only Knows,” and Dennis’s song, “Forever.”  He leaned back in his chair, briefly closed his eyes, shook his head wistfully, and said, “Oh, Forever is such a beautiful, pretty song.”  I then told him I loved his vocals at the end of the song, and he said, “You know, I didn’t really plan it that way, it just happened, the inspiration just struck that way.”  I thanked him.  He said, “You’re welcome,” then put his head down as if in deep thought.  Not sure what to do, as Brian’s head was still down as if in deep thought, I picked up the album (my original copy of Pet Sounds from ’66) and the book he had signed, and started to walk away.  After a few steps, I heard Brian yell, “Hey!”  I turned around, and as he motioned the next person in line to step aside, he said, “Thank you!  Thank you very much!”

After BW’s 4-8-00 concert at the Roxy, I had short conversation with him after he had been presented with a platinum record award for Pet Sounds,  He came across as totally normal, confident, and at ease. 

Back to the original question - as far as what other fans and I discussed with Brian and Marilyn on 4-20-73, the only thing I can specifically recall, 35 years later, was talking about the previously released Spring album and plans for a second Spring album (which, other than a single release, never saw fruition).  I’m sure we asked about his forthcoming plans with the Beach Boys, but, 35 years later, I don’t recall the details. 

Thank you so much like I said pictures of Brian at the time are highly valued.

Unfortunately, as I had mentioned before, I had used up all but one photo by the time Brian appeared on stage.  Since I was in the audience, and fans were clapping like mad, it turned out that a fan's overhead hands obscured Brian's face.  Also, he was one of many on stage.  But, I will post the photo, as well as a few others from the concert, after I get the slides scanned.

Thanks so much Custom Machine ! Great report!

I had used up all my film except for one picture by the time Brian came on, and his face is obscured by the overhead hands of a fan in front of me.  This is the only photo I got of Brian on stage

If you care to post it, go ahead...

The photos are on slides.  Just got out my old slide projector (for the first time in years) to check them out, but discovered it doesn't work.  Anyway, when I get around to scanning the slides, I'll post a few here.

For some historic insight into The Beach Boys concert at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday, April 20, 1973, here’s a transcript of a tape my friend Ralph and I made almost 35 years ago, on Sunday, April 22, 1973, two days after the concert.  I drove up to LA from San Diego and Ralph flew down from San Francisco.  Why is there a tape of our reaction to and recollections of the concert?  When we were kids my friend moved to New Jersey in 1963, so we started writing letters, followed by “visit tapes” whenever we got together.  What follows is the dialog on the tape that pertains to the Beach Boys concert.

Rob:  We saw the Beach Boys concert (April 20, 1973).  Ralph flew down to the Hollywood-Burbank airport on Friday.  Went and saw The Beach Boys, in concert, which was just fantastic.
Ralph:  A complete groove.
Rob:  Also, Thursday night …
Ralph:  I saw ‘em in San Francisco.  They did the exact same show.   It was outtasite!
Rob:  We’ve got Beach Boys shirts on now.  Ralph wore his Beach Boys shirt to the concert.
Ralph:  About 20 people asked me where I got it.
Rob:  Real good reaction.  On the tape later we’ll tell ya about after the concert.  We talked to Brian Wilson,
Ralph:  Al Jardine,
Rob:  Bruce Johnston, and met some real Beach Boy fans out there.
Ralph:  Rob’s cat’s here on the floor, Rhonda.  Beach Boys opened both concerts with “Help Me, Rhonda.”
(Help Me Rhonda starts playing on the stereo.)
Ralph:  Hot mercy!  It was Friday night, the 20th of April, man,
Rob:   1973, that we saw The Beach Boys at the Hollywood Palladium, presented by KDAY and Pacific Presentations.  It was sold out.
Ralph:  All the seating was on the floor, except for the balconies.  It was jam packed.
Rob:  Yeah, and really fantastic.  We got some pretty good seats.
Ralph:  Or rather on the floor, man.
Rob:  When we went to the concert we stood in line, we  got there about 4:45 initially, and there was already a line of hard core fanatics in line.
Ralph:  So then we got into the Palladium about 7 o’clock and people were like asking me where I got the shirt and everything, and besides that I was telling them about the concert I saw the night before, April 19th at Winterland.  A full house up there the night before, fantastic concert.
Rob:  The first group to play was Mason Proffit.   After that, Jesse Colin Young, who we talked to afterwards, then, of course, The Beach Boys came on.
Ralph:  And they opened with “Help Me Rhonda.”
Rob:  They played for about an hour and 45 minutes with two encores.  Why don’t you read off the list, Ralph, of what they played.  This is not in the exact order that they played in, but it’s sorta close to it.
Ralph:  Help Me Rhonda, Funky Pretty, Darlin’, Heroes and Villains, Caroline No, California, Surfin’ USA, Wild Honey, Do It Again, Don’t Worry Baby, Marcella, Sail On Sailor, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibes.  Then they came back with their first encore and did I Get Around, Sloop John B, Fun Fun Fun, Jumpin Jack Flash, and Surfer Girl.  Then they came on again and did California Girls, and closed with Ba-ba-ba-ba  Barbara Ann.  It was fantastic, man.  So, anyway, after the concert we hung around.
Rob:  We went to the back stage.  We hung around for a minute, and then we sorta went back, not back stage, but sorta back in the area where you just get out of the stage there, and saw Al Jardine there, and we sat around and just looked inconspicuous,  and we were inconspicuous for quite a while, so finally a guy asked us to go outside a little farther and Mike and his brother were out there and I turned around and all of a sudden we noticed Brian and his wife Marilyn, so we went over and started talking to them.  They were really friendly.  Talked about the new Spring album that will come out on Columbia.
(Funky Pretty begins playing on the stereo.)
Rob:  One of the songs they played (referring to Funky Pretty).  Got good reception at the concert.
Ralph:  And while we were waiting outside, Al Jardine was out there.   Carl walked by but Rob didn’t see him.
Rob:  Right.  We didn’t see Dennis.  Then Brian and his wife left, said goodbye to everybody.
Ralph:  And we met this guy who was a super Beach Boy fan.
Rob:  This guy, and his girlfriend, or his wife, and then a friend of his.  All big Beach Boy fans.  The guy was going to law school.  Said like they used to hang out at Brother Records.  He said their next album coming out will be a double live album.  And he and his chick had worked, was it three days or three weeks that they’d worked on that tape?
Ralph:  Three weeks, at least.
Rob:  A tape utilizing Beach Boys songs and lines.
Ralph:  It mentioned 36 Beach Boys songs.
Rob:  That they gave to The Beach Boys.  So we were talkin’ about Bruce Johnston’s solo album that’s supposed to come out, and they said the thing had fell through with Bruce and Dean Torrence and Terry Melcher.  So we went backstage and talked to Jesse Colin Young, who Ralph talked to about Marin County.  Then we found Bruce, the other guy there found Bruce.  What was that guy’s name, do you remember, or did we ever find out?  His friend’s name was Nick.  So we found Bruce, and we just sorta sat around and talked with him awhile.  He was there with his woman, and playing a few songs.
Ralph:  On the piano, including one he’d evidently just written about The Beach Boys.
Rob:  So, we finally got out of there about 1:15 and drove back to San Diego, and as soon as morning was breaking, about 5 o’clock, we had some Jack Daniels and Seven Up and finally went to bed.
(Barbara Ann, from The Beach Boys Live in London starts playing on stereo.)
Rob:  This was the last song of the concert, and also the song that’s famous at our parties, with double and triple recordings of it.
Ralph:  The reaction to the concert was so fantastic, they sounded so good.  They had as much as five or six different musicians backing them up besides the regular compliment of Blondie, Ricky, Al, Mike, Dennis, and Carl.  This song really was fantastic in San Francisco and LA.  This one chick at the concert kept asking me if they were gonna play Barbara Ann, she kept singing it.  All through the concert you could hear different people were singing different Beach Boys songs.

Later that day:
(Got to Know the Woman is blasting out on the stereo.)
Rob:   Allright.  We got to know the woman, and here we are on the night of April 22nd,
Ralph:  1973.
Rob:  It’s almost 11 o’clock and Got to Know the Woman is on.  Bruce Johnston is comin up, so I guess we can turn it down a little bit.
Ralph:  He played it the other night, remember, he started to play it.
Rob:  Right, he started to play ol’ Deirdre, for a girl that he said was his best friend, he met, wise, and very dear.
(Deirdre begins playing on stereo, as we mention drinking beer and Jack Daniels.)
(It’s About Time begins playing on the stereo.)

Additional notes:

This was an absolutely wonderful time to see the Beach Boys in concert, as the group was still making relevant new music, plus there was a rapidly growing appreciation for their both their old and new recordings.  Bruce Johnston joined the band on stage, playing guitar and singing, for both encores.  Brian Wilson appeared on stage for the last encore, but I’m not certain if he actually sang into a mic. ( I had used up all my film except for one picture by the time Brian came on, and his face is obscured by the overhead hands of a fan in front of me.  This is the only photo I got of Brian on stage.) 

The outside area we mention backstage was truly outside, but was enclosed and was next to the main backstage entrance.  As people were talking and milling around in this area, Al spent some time meditating.  We noticed Audree and Murry there when Audree, who was walking with another woman, shouted ahead to Murry to wait up for them.  This was most likely the last Beach Boys concert Murry attended. 

When we mention sitting around with Bruce playing the piano, it was on the stage after the concert, as the roadies were removing cords and stage equipment around us.   Bruce’s song we refer to about The Beach Boys was “Ten Years of Harmony”, which we had never heard of until he played it that night.  Bruce was in a very reflective mood as he talked and sang, and I sensed that he really missed being a member of the group.  And, for years I have wondered if the guy going to law school that we spoke with after the concert (and who made the tape with his girlfriend) is still a major fan. 

Dennis was not drumming at the time, due to his hand injury, and he spent a lot of time holding the mic stand in the phallic manner depicted on the cover of The Beach Boys in Concert.  The audience reactred with laughs and cheers.  When I bought The Beach Boys in Concert album that November I instantly recognized the venue as the Hollywood Palladium with its hanging chandeliers.  Ralph and I can both be seen on the album cover, although we are far enough back that no one would recognize either of us without being shown exactly where we were.

Nice to read my friend Craig's comments about my attendance at the April 20 (originally scheduled for March 16) 1973 BB concert at the Hollywood Palladium.  Bruce came out on stage for the last few songs (the beginning of the encores), playing guitar and singing, but I don't recall Brian getting up on stage until the last song, and even then I think he was mainly standing there clapping along -- I'm not sure if he was singing into a live mic.  I did talk to BW and Marilyn back stage after the concert, and then spent time on stage with Bruce and a few other fans as Bruce sang and played (on the piano) Deirdre and Ten Years of Harmony.

The incident where a few other fans and I helped Dennis change Audrey's flat tire occurred seven months later in the parking lot of the Anaheim Convention Center on Nov 16, 1973.

My buddy Ralph (who attended the 4-73 Hollywood Palladium concert with me) and I made a tape the following day discussing our recollections of the concert.  I attended the 11-73 Anaheim Convention Center concert with my friend Julie, and I sent a letter to Ralph (which he later gave back to me) giving details of the concert as well as helping Dennis with the flat tire after the concert. 

If anyone is interested, I can dig those out and post the comments on the tape and text in the letter as they relate to those classic concerts, back when interest in the Beach Boys (which hit an incredible low in the US just a few years after the release of Good Vibes) was on a definite upward swing, but before it exploded the following year with the release of Endless Summer.

Rob

I absolutely love Chasin the Sky - especially the extended vocals on the fade and the great lead vocal by Carl. 

My favorite Spencer Proffer production is Danny Spanos' Hot Cheri.  Randy Bishop was one of 6 writers of that song, released a year before Chasin the Sky.  From the moment I first heard Hot Cheri (you can hear it by going to Danny Spanos' My Space page) I thought it would be a great Beach Boys song, with Carl on lead vocals and a much extended fade of Beach Boys harmony vocals, (similar in length to those done on Chasin the Sky a year later).

OK - AGD tells us that Christian Love was born May 23, 1968. 

Is he Mike's blonde kid on the cover and inside gatefold of Sunflower? 

(BTW, although Sunflower is generally listed as being released 8-31-70, I have documented evidence that I purchased it on 8-21-70.  I'd been bugging my local record store about The Beach Boys new Add Some Music album, and when I bought Sunflower they told me that it had just arrived that day.)

I'd like to know more about Christian Love.  What band(s) did he play bass in?  What is his approximate age?  He definitely does very credible  renditions of Carl's vocals.

So bad it's really bad.  I find it basically unlistenable.  Not even slightly funny even when taken as a parody.

In the Parking Lot
Please Let Me Wonder
You Still Believe in Me
Do It Again

Wow!  Saw the Fendertones videos on You Tube.  I am incredibly impressed!  I'd love to see a DVD or get a CD of the entire performance.  Do The Fendertones tour on a regular basis?

The Beach Boys version of "Good Time" would have totally ruined the artistic integrity of Sunflower.  The Beach Boys really needed to be taken seriously when Sunflower was released, and most listeners back in 1970, myself included, would have considered the song idiotic.  Not that it doesn't have its charms -- it's one of those many BW songs that has potential, and has some really enjoyable parts, but overall comes across as too quirky.  I do really like the Spring version, which is far more palatable to my listening sensibilities.

And speaking of Sunflower, I was thrilled, when I got the album in Aug 1970, to discover that Susie Cincinnati, which had been released 6 months earlier as the flip of "Add Some Music to Your Day", had been left off the album.  To me, it was another dumb song that did nothing but reinforce many people's attitudes that the BBs were uncool.  While a song like "Got to Know the Woman" came across to me as totally cool, "Good Time" and "Susie Cincinnati" have always seemed lame to me.

"Good Time" does fit on Love You from a quirkiness standpoint, but at the same time, it really accentuates the decline in Brian's voice from 70 to 76.

Shortly after the Wild Honey album was released, a friend of mine bought the eight track, and a few days later told me that he was playing the tape of the album for the first time while changing a car transmission.  He said he was dropping the tranny down just when I Was Made to Love Her came on and the Beach Boys kept singing, "Hey, hey, hey, you son of a bitch!"  He said he started laughing so hard he almost let go of the transmission and it nearly fell on top of him.  He was quite surprised when I told him I had never heard such lyrics in the song.  When I got home I gave the album a listen and realized that the line, "Hey, hey, hey, yes I was made to love her" does sound like "Hey, hey, hey, you son of a bitch!"  Over the years there have been numerous reports of people hearing the lyrics as "You son of a bitch!" and, I frequently sing it to myself that why when listening to the song!  It definitely adds an element of fun and humor to the listening experience.

Although I've never seen this version, I'm guessing it's a 70s reissue, and most likely an import.  Note that it uses the Capitol logo which was introduced around early 1970 and was used throughout the 70s.  Also, this same cover photo was used by Capitol US for the cover of the early 1971 reissue of Shut Down Vol 2, which was retitled Fun Fun Fun.

Why use a 1970 photo for a 1964 concert?  In the 70s the Beach Boys circa 1964 short hair look was no longer cool.  That's why 1974's Endless Summer used cartoon style drawings of the band with long hair, even though it contained early to mid-60s hits.  Using photos of the band (especially on the cover) from the original era of the Endless Summer songs would have made them look totally uncool in the 70s. 

C-Man -

Can you tell us more about the "newly discovered source" for Surf's Up used on The Warmth of the Sun CD?  Surf's Up always sounded muddy (very little treble) from day one when it was released on vinyl.  From an EQ standpoint, it sounds absolutely nothing like Sunflower, which is a little on the bright side.  I asked (via email) Stephen Desper about this disparity once, but he seemed unaware of any significant difference in sound quality between the two albums.  I had surmised that perhaps there had been an azimuth misalignment at some point which could have caused the muddy sound on Surf's Up.  Of course a lot of 70s music suffers from Dolby mistracking as the various tracks were mixed down, causing a loss of high end, but I'm guessing (but don't really know) that Surf's Up was recorded without Dolby NR.

As far as the original Sunflower master, I'm really curious about that too.  Within the last year or two, on this board, either Alan Boyd or Mark Linett (I'm guessing it was Boyd) said that the actual Sunflower original stereo mixdown master (as opposed to a presumably brighter LP master) has just been found.  Any news on what is happening with that? Sunflower is such an incredibly well done album from a recording standpoint (not to mention the performances) that I'd love to hear it in full from this newly discovered stereo mixdown master.

My copy of  “The Lost Beach Boy” arrived from Amazon today.  After a quick skim, I’m really looking forward to giving it a thorough read – it definitely contains quite a bit of fascinating info.

And, since Jon has now written “Dennis Wilson – The Real Beach Boy” and “David Marks – The Lost Beach Boy”, I  realize that he has five more Beach Boy books to go:

“Carl Wilson – The Soulful Beach Boy”
“Al Jardine – The Square Beach Boy”
“Bruce Johnston – The ‘Born with a Golden Spoon’ Beach Boy”
“Brain Wilson – The Genius Beach Boy”
  and finally …
“Mike Love – The S. O. Beach Boy”.

When the Spring album was released, Brian called the Wolfman Jack show and said he had just produced a new album by his wife and her sister.  He repeatedly stated, "It's better than Pet Sounds, Wolfman."

What is a good source for this CD?  I couldn't find it on CD Universe.  Has anyone gotten a copy from Amazon?  It is on Amazon, with the same cover, but with this track listing, which contains none of the material on the original LP:

1. Too Many Cooks 
2. Don't You Go 
3. Shadow in the Night 
4. Midnight Sun 
5. Watch Me Run 
6. This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) 
7. Walk Away 
8. It's All Over 

If the track listing is incorrect and it is in fact the original Carl Wilson produced Flame album, but it is truly a needle drop, I'm hesitant to purchase it as my original Brother/King/Starday LP is in primo condition.

What, specifically, are Mike's issues with Al?  I recall reading a number of years ago where Mike said that Al had to "get over his anger."  What was he referring to when he made that statement?

> Seems like they went out of their way to mention Brian, Al, Carl, and Dennis, which was nice.

I've heard Mike and Bruce mention Brian, Carl, and Dennis many times, but never Al.

What did they say about Al?

PS - How do I get sections quoted from a previous post to appear in a green box, like everyone else on this list does?