Isn't being a 'serious fan' a male thing in itself? I know no woman who is a collector, a hoarder, a completist in pop music. Women tend to:

1. not being positive about a big hi-fi set in the living room;

2. asking frequently: 'don't you have enough CD's by now?'.

As for point (1), hi-fi buffs have coined the acronym: WAF (wife acceptance factor). A mini-all-in-one set will do fine, esp. if it's in pink. All other sets will inevitably lead to divorce.

My wife's an exception. She's just as much of a collector as I am, and has "heard" various "outtakes" of artists that may (or may not) include Stone Temple Pilots, Daniel Johnston, Pink Floyd, 2Pac,and others.

Who in hell is Mrs Miller?

Oddly enough, the unsweetened version sounds MUCH better to me than the released version.

I think some more "sweetening" was done for its DVD release, due to the large amount of autotune on Mike's vocals.

Brilliant post as usual, Clay. I became a fan in the mid-90s, so yeah I tend to be more Brian-centric. Oddly enough, though, I'm not as much of a fan of the pre-Pet Sounds albums, even though that was Brian's supposed "best" work (PS excepted).

I can understand that viewpoint, but I doubt anybody who has been to Mike & Bruce's shows (or heard tapes) would call it "baboonery".

All I've been reading is how bad this would be for Brian if it doesn't turn out well. However...think about how good it would be for Brian if it DOES turn out well. Look at what happened when he released BWPS...that did him a world of good, yet beforehand for decades he wouldn't even want to discuss it. I for one would like to see him try.

I just want SOMETHING to happen for the anniversary. The Beach Boys need as much attention as the Beatles get -actually I wish the public perception of the two bands was reversed....sorry, but it's true.

Just take what they had, and overdub some additional instrumental backing...would've been pretty easy, actually. Then throw in stuff from the others (would've been a GREAT time for some of Dennis's unreleased tracks to make an appearance) along with a few new tracks, and voila! Of course the gig would've been up when they actually had to follow up the album, but it would have been worth it. Sure, "San Miguel" may have sounded dated in 1976, but not anymore that what actually *did* come out.

I still think they should have used whatever leftovers they had featuring Brian's vocals, and "update" the instrumental backing. The public would have been none the wiser and would've helped perpetuate Brian's myth a bit longer. Hell, if they put "When Girls get together" on KTSA, 10 years after the fact, then that (and "Games Two Can Play" "I just got my pay", ect) could've been released on what became 15 BO. At the very least, that would've bought Brian some time to actually do something up to his standard.

That was my understanding too...just seems like more and more reviewers (again, mainly here in the US) referring to individual songs as "tracks". Of course, it seems like spelling and grammar have fallen by the wayside, so I guess society is just about f***ed!

Am I forgiven if I say it's a great track of an OK song? 

Actually, that describes a lot of 15 BO, imho.

In all fairness, in some circles "songs" and "tracks" mean the same thing! Never quite got that one, even though it seems to mainly be limited to the the US...you'd think I'd be less confused an/or annoyed by that

Ahh...so THAT is when WAWW was done. Usually it's booted as part of the Paley sessions.

How does it sound?

I'm a hippie stoner but I liked the album as a kid too.

Why would you feel like a goof? It's one of the greatest records of all time!

[no-one]

Here's a novel idea...let's ask Alan! It'd be nice to finally put the debate to rest. I've always thought it was Brian, personally, due to the distinctive wavery "ring" he had in his voice at the time, but considering how adept Jardine was at sounding like him, who knows?

No-one, but no-one, says "goshdarned" like that like Alan !

Back in the day, tried getting a request to Alan to listen - nothing happened.

Good point, and good catch.

Here's a novel idea...let's ask Alan! It'd be nice to finally put the debate to rest. I've always thought it was Brian, personally, due to the distinctive wavery "ring" he had in his voice at the time, but considering how adept Jardine was at sounding like him, who knows?

+1.

Pop music is the result of mass media and image and looks have always been factors in the success story of bands.
It's true that the degree of musicianship that is needed for a good pop song can fluctuate through time. But in my book Lady Gaga writes better songs  than "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and that was a big hit in 1960. And I can name lot's of other hits in the 'great' sixties and seventies that are just novelty hits.

Truth.

Here's a what if...

what if Brian hadn't have wrecked his voice?

I've always assumed it's supposed to be there, bit like that 'edge-of-hearing' guitar on one fragment of "BWTL".

Are you talking about the version on the 1990 "twofer" of Smiley/Wild Honey? Can you point me to where in the recording(how many minutes, etc...) you're talking about?

We're talking about the only version there is, going back to the original 1967 vinyl release... and it's clearly audible, even on a dubious UK pressing. Try listening.

I think he was referring to the 2fer version of BWTL as opposed to the box set version.

Ahhh...figured as much.

How much of "It's Ok" was actually completed in 1974?

It was.

The part on He Came Down I was referring to was the "eeee-eee" part that Brian did right after the final "Yes I believe it" part.

I KNEW it...his lower voice had dramatically changed by that point...just compare it to "Games Two Can Play", for example. I knew some of his vocals from that era were sped up, and I think what threw me off initially is that it wasn't sped up like, say, the intro to "California".

So that confirms my theory that that WAS him doing the low part on "He Came Down", as he sounded exactly the same.