Bruce really annoys me these days. He just seems so faceless. Ever since I read a bit in Peter Carlin's book Catch a Wave about Bruce telling Mike in an email (paraphrasing it) "You really love doing this. It's all/only business to me", I can't look at him the same. I've tried hard, since I think besides Brian and Dennis he's the best songwriter, and a great one really, I just cringe now whenever I see him. I try to say "Oh he's only havin fun, being an old silly man", but I don't really get a fun feeling when I look at him with his shorts and his hat and the fact that he's with Mike Love while Al & David are sticking with Brian. I don't know. I really wanna like Bruce nowadays. But he just annoys me. I might write a song called "Brupublicans (1971)" to express my nostalgic feelings over the old Bruce.

I think Smile would've been a lot more intense then Sgt Peppers, in terms of vision and depth. Sgt Peppers' innovation in 1967 was remarkable, with all those styles on the record, with the album cover art, with the lyrics on the back, and more than anything (not so much innovation, but luck), the fact that it was released at exactly the right time to coincide with what became the Summer of Love, and a wider awareness of people gaining a higher consciousness (and a lot more people thinking they had a higher consciousness). Regardless, it was a cosmic moment, and books could (and I'm sure have) been written about how momentous the album's release and influence was. And I think it's a great record, a knock-out record (Brian said in 1992 it "might be the single greatest record I've ever heard"). But it's really not the all time great album, and for an occasion as momentous as a whole society/world of people opening up to themselves and landing on a higher plain of humanity (it's an idea that's far too incredible to be true), Sgt Peppers in hindsight doesn't exactly seem like the holy grail for such a year zero. A Day In The Life is the only track that could fit such an assessment. But it's not really about putting down Sgt Peppers, because it is a fantastic record.

It's just that Smile would've been, I'm almost positive, miles and miles ahead. And Brian knew this. Because he saw it. And it was a vision deeper than just an idea (in this case of a journey across America, of humor, of health, of good and evil, and of youth). All these ideas, that meant something to the time, did and were to intertwine and mix and all connect to each other. Because they did. And it was going to show musically, with little bits of Heroes and Villains in Love To Say Dada, or a bit of Wonderful in Child is Father of the Man (I hear it). Brian heard all this, and knew it's importance when it came to Smile. I think it's part of why he couldn't complete it. It was too great a task for a troubled Brian to continue undertaking. Brian was a kid emotionally I think then, though in terms of intelligence he understood a lot about of the inner mind and psychology and the way things worked. Coped with his emotional capacity, he more than anyone was able to create this ultimate expression of awareness at that time, when more and more people were becoming "aware". Plus, he was a genius musically (the only genius in modern music history, I believe), so it would've been better too. Brian was very, very in touch with himself. And while Sgt Peppers, like I said, had a lot of different styles (rock, neo-classical, Indian, dance hall) musically, Brian was creating a whole realistic, aware universe within each song. In Fire, you don't just hear a bunch of sirens and whistles going off, you hear the tension and the claustrophobia and the danger and you feel physically as if you're in that fire. The whole album would've been a scope of what life really is. Surfs Up is a tragic song. Fire is scary. Wonderful is adventurous and blissful. Heroes and Villains is epic. Our Prayer/Prayer is religious. And the "Bicycle Rider" theme running through the whole thing is obsessive and psychotic and is, for me (besides Surfs Up), the hardest hitting, brilliant thing on it (it being what I've heard). Each song really lives and breathes. And musically, with all these musical themes and tracks flowing (like water almost) together, it would've really been a mix of classical music and pop music and old and new and anyone not even aware of all the other stuff about it would be able to recognize it's importance in that respect. What Brian was doing was art. It was true, life-consuming, life-changing art that musically pushed boundaries too and as a vision (and as a series of musical masterpieces), would've been so complete and would've touched such a raw nerve to anyone aware and becoming aware of who they are, that it would've knocked Sgt Peppers out of the water. I know that was a very fancy-dancy, not so great explanation of it, but in short Smile would've changed everything, whether anyone would've payed attention or not. There's no real telling what Smile's success commercially would've been, but artistically it would've been the greatest, most advanced album of all time. And I think it'd still be, since no one's done anything like it since. With the influence of acid obviously all over it (not that I could tell  ), and such a cosmic, omniscient, psychic depth to it, really tuned in people/hippies would've had their minds blown beyond comprehension. It certainly blew Brian's mind.

In short, Smile was (I think) art. Sgt Peppers was not as much art. Smile would've been that much greater because of how much greater Brian was, and the fact that Brian was one person. Not 4 men and a producer. Brian (with Van Dyke helping) was 1 guy, and thus the whole record was Brian's singular "whole new universe of experience",  reaching as far into himself as he possibly could. Smile really would've been the sound of awareness. I sound stupid explaining it. In (real) short: Smile would've been a more advanced, fully formed version of what Sgt Peppers was. By a lot. And I think it would've kicked Sgt Peppers ass. Surfs Up is the greatest song ever written.

From a 2011 interview

Interviewer: What do you feel like the Beach Boys legacy is in terms of what you and the Beach Boys have created for pop music?
Brian: Well, it depends on what song you mean. You know, if you're talking Good Vibrations, we taught people how to use cellos. Um if it's Do It Again we learned how to play a "medium beat".

And at the end of the interview:

Interviewer: I thank you so much for being here, sir. It's been a pleasure.
Brian: It's been a pleasure and I'll see you again sometime. I'll see you at the concert.
[they shake hands]
Brian: Give me a better hand shake.

From an interview with the same interviewer a year later, this time with the whole group.

Interviewer: Brian, does it feel like you're slipping right back into what you were doing decades ago?
Brian: Like I said, each guy's different, we each have our own part to play. And it does take me back to the early 60s. But we've had more practice then you can imagine! We've had 50 years of practice and practice and practice!

Later in the interview, Brian talking about the importance of radio when he was young:

Brian: We used to listen to Johnny Otis play a lot of rhythm and blues. Carl and I used to listen to rhythm and blues records on the radio. We did. In fact, Carl turned me on to rhythm and blues. And the more we listened the more we learned, you know. And then along comes Chuck Berry and Mike Love, and the creation of rock n roll, so to speak.

Roller Skating Child & Good Time

After these 2 I can't do this one anymore. All the other songs are so perfect, as were some of the others already voted off.

Palisades Park
Chapel of Love

The Trader

I was reading Keith Badman's definitive diary book on the Beach Boys today and apparently Brian recorded a solo piano version of In The Back of My Mind with a newly written bridge during the Love You sessions. That'd be cool to hear.

I never get tired of the magic of this album.. I think it speaks volumes of how far out Brian had gotten, and yet how he hadn't lost it. People so often use the word childlike to describe Brian and his music, and maybe here it could be described as childlike, considering he was 34. But I don't think it's "childlike", as if he was playing with legos between recording sessions. I think it's basic human feeling, longing for connection, and love. The same soul that wouldn't accept the truth in 'Please Let Me Wonder' longed for the love to never end in 'Let Us Go On This Way'. That love and longing, in the "pure" form (you don't know it, you feel it), is at the core of Love You. It was at the core of Pet Sounds, too. But there's a difference between PS and LY. On Pet Sounds, his love is there, blooming; on Love You, it's lost. And he wants it back. Brian's entire adult life up until that point was filled with that loss, ever since he fell in love with Carol Mountain back in high school, and one just has to look at the time between Love You to Pet Sounds and Pet Sounds to high school, from high school to little Brian listening and falling in love to the sound of his dad playing piano, the same dad who beat him. Brian's music has nothing to do about time, at all. The synths and sparsity of the sound compared to the full production of Pet Sounds shouldn't really turn anyone off. I remember being 13 and listening to Pet Sounds constantly, and listening to Love You and not feeling much of a difference between them. There is one difference though, I think, or one that might not be obvious. I think what Brian was longing for on Love You, and had been for years and years before it finally exploded into these songs, was the magic of Smile, and of Pet Sounds, and of the old days, when expressing himself almost made up for all the pain in his heart. It was the same pain that Brian was feeling when he wrote Til I Die, one of his greatest songs ever. Perhaps sadness/loss is the one only real thing in Brian Wilson's life. Perhaps subconsciously he knew that without it, he himself wouldn't be real. So for all those years between Smile and Love You, Brian was afraid to leave it's comfort, and only came close when its intensity pushed Brian to express it. One has to, in this regard, thank Eugene Landy for getting Brian out of bed during this time, and pushing him to the point where he could express himself again. He was obviously, in a very very weird place, and that's a magic about Love You. You can imagine Brian, washed out from his fear and wonder of his whole cosmic, multicolored 1960s experience,  just sitting down and watching Carson. Mike Love's vocal at the end it is one of my favorites of his. There's something funny about the "Honk! Honk! Honkin down the highway!" chorus of Honkin Down the Highway in the same way Barnyard was funny. I wouldn't say it's off putting, but something of that nature. It catches you. Solar System reminds me of that picture of young Brian looking up into the sky with a telescope. Maybe he was feeling nostalgic, or afraid of Landy, of band pressures, of everything, and so he escaped to the solar system. The Night Was So Young is one of the greatest songs he ever wrote, I think. I could go on about each song, but there's no reason for words really. Another thing, if one gets hung up about the silly words on this record, I think it's a pretty worthless fault. You're missing a beautiful, singular, cathartic experience. Like everything Brian Wilson did. And this is, really, a Brian Wilson album. I think it's said more actually then any of his actual solo records. It's the last great record the Beach Boys or Brian Wilson ever made. Brian even said to Peter Carlin 10 years ago, "That's where my heart lies."

There's something life affirming about someone diving into their own pain like this. It kind of heals yours. And no one went through pain like Brian did, and no one expressed it like he did. That's what Brian Wilson, the greatest musician in all of popular music, should and will be remembered for. It's nice to know that Brian loves you. 

I miss Solar System already

Roller Skating Child

Palisades Park

The Trader

Happy Birthday Mike

[TRY USING THE SEARCH FUNCTION FIRST !]

This should be pinned at the top of every thread here:

TRY USING THE SEARCH FUNCTION FIRST !

Jus' sayin'...

I did and I didn't find anything. I might not have looked hard enough, but I did type in a few different things and there wasn't an explanation or a story. 

I think I remember reading that "Do You Like Worms?" was being considered for L.A. (Light Album).

Did this get any farther than the idea stage?

I doubt it. I mean I haven't read anything more than just the fact that they were considering it, and part of me feels that if it went further than that then it'd definitely be in a book or something. But maybe someone else has more information. I'm kind of interested myself in that (it would've stuck out on that album by a million country miles).

And my question.. I read somewhere once that Brian heard 3 voices in his head: Murry Wilson, Phil Spector, and Danny Hutton. I came across this video today (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao_25vXt9WQ) and I thought maybe someone here might know.. why does he hear (or heard) Danny Hutton's voice? I know they were friends and they probably did drugs together but is there a specific story behind it? It seems so weird since both Murry and Phil seemed to have incalculable importance in Brian's life compared to Danny. I don't know whether I'm more surprised that he apparently heard Danny's voice in his head or that he didn't hear Mike Loves.

still, i can't really dislike ANY song from this album.
let's hear it for LOVE YOU y'all!

Love You is by far one of their best records. It was the last time Brian really captured what he was feeling (and at his best he could do better than anyone else by far). Its such such such a great record and so atmospheric and weird and perfect in its own way, and I don't get why a lot of people don't seem to like it. I mean I don't wanna put anyone down or judge em, but if it's because of the production that sucks. I don't think the core magic of Brian was ever about the production, it was about his emotional honesty and his music. And I think Love You is really raw honesty. Anyways, yeah, let's hear it for Love You!

Vote: Roller Skating Child

Hey, I've been here for a few days now (it says I've been logged in total for 7 hours & 10 min, so there you go), and I just wanted to introduce myself. My name's Nick and I've been listening to the Beach Boys since 2008. I remember hearing 'Fun Fun Fun' and 'Surfin Safari' as a kid, but it didn't really have an effect on me. When I was 13, my first girlfriend showed me Pet Sounds and it might've been the single most emotional experience of my life (18 years isn't much, but I'm sure nothing will come close). It completely, utterly, far and beyond blew my mind right out of the water. That record is so personal for me, as it is I'm sure for most people here, that it's hard to listen to it sometimes. As a musician myself, Brian's the only musician I've never tried to emulate. "You can't get what's in there, he was born with what he had." - Marilyn. At that time I did listen to as much SMiLE (I will use this spelling sometimes, I like it) stuff as I could find. Even though it was only 6 years ago, the Smile sessions hadn't been released and searching the internet trying to find everything was fun work (and it did feel like work sometimes). Every little thing kind of felt like a treasure, like a missing puzzle piece. I still like to think of it like that, even now when you can buy or download most of those sessions on their own for free. I'm not a walking encyclopedia of Beach Boys knowledge (at least compared to a lot of what I've seen here), so I'm sorry if I ever seem stupid. I'm completely willing to learn about the Beach Boys!

Sorry that was a lot of information. But that's me. I hope to have a good time here, and I hope you don't mind me (if you do, don't let me wonder, tell me).
I do like lots of other music too, so if you wanna talk about anything else (music or not), message me if you want.
There is no God, and Brian Wilson is his son.
Surf's Up is the greatest song ever written, by anyone.

I watched this again today, and it was a lot better then I remembered it. Though Brian's obviously going through stuff (it was off putting the first time, and it's still sad), what he says a lot seems really thoughtful. Or at least feeling. He really feels what he says, even if he seems drugged up to the moon and back. And otherwise, a great great documentary. The Danny Hutton/Alice Cooper/Iggy Pop story is classic. The bit with Carl, Audree, and Brian sitting around the piano singing 'In My Room' is touching, especially since Carl and Audree died a few years after. And Audree knew the words!
The 'Still I Dream of It' bit is so sad though. It's really one of Brian's most heartbreaking (and best in my opinion) songs.

Talk to Me

Steamboat

Roller Skating Child

I'm not trying to judge anyone for not liking Funky Pretty, or wanting it off this early, but Blondie's vocal, especially in the last minute, is so amazing. It just knocks me out. His vocal is among the most awe inspiring moments in maybe not just the post Smile stuff, but in the whole BB's catalog. I could go on about the song, but words don't really do greatness justice.

Does anyone know why they didn't release Soulful Old Man Sunshine at the time it was recorded? It's one of my favorites. I know Carl didn't like his "shunshine" mess up enough to exclude it from the Good Vibrations box set, but that's 20 years after the fact.

Ding Dang Damn it, I liked Ding Dang certainly more than

Roller Skating Child

Talk to Me

It makes me sad that Mount Vernon is out.

Vote: California Saga: Big Sur