[anti-pretty-much-anyone-named-Wilson, with the exception of Dennis, who, in spite of his many faults, is forgiven because, after all, he was an out of control drug addict.]

If believed every word of this book, then I'd have to be not only anti-Mike, but anti-Carl, anti-Al, and anti-pretty-much-anyone-named-Wilson, with the exception of Dennis, who, in spite of his many faults, is forgiven because, after all, he was an out of control drug addict. Carl is blamed for his death, Landy is God.....oh how I hate this book.

We all know Dennis had a big heart, was Brian's biggest musical supporter from within the band during the Smile period, etc., but I think Dennis was "forgiven" because he was no threat to Landy. Carl, Audree, Marilyn, Carnie and Wendy were all anti-Landy, and the book came out at the time of the conservatorship fight, so Landy was trying to trash them and prove that HE was the one who loved Brian, not his greedy family.

The only Wilsons who weren't a threat to Landy when the book came out were Murry and Dennis. He HAD to hit Murry hard in the book because that stuff had all been out there for so many years. But there was no reason to take shots at Dennis, so he didn't.

I still "Angel Come Home" should have been the lead single off "L.A." I really think it could have been a hit in 1979.

(I also think "Here Comes the Night" should never have been remade).

Nothing against Bruce, but that picture is a great "what if." What if Brian decided at that time he was leaving the road for good. Maybe Brian never has his breakdown and Murry – with no replacement waiting in the wings – doesn't ride Dave so hard that he quits.

It would have been interesting to hear what the group would have done. Ah, what if?

Thanks, Jon. I couldn't tell that was Dennis. I still think it would have been good to have him sing a more prominent part, but it's nice you picked him out of the mix.

Of course, the one who got screwed vocally on Sunflower was Al. I'm surprised Bruce sang the Brian-Al song At My Window while he had already sung his own songs.

The "music is in my soul" line is an amazing piece of harmony.

The only thing I don't like about the song is that Dennis doesn't get a vocal solo like everyone else. They could have cut back on Mike or Bruce's part to give him a line. I know (thanks to his own songwriting) that Sunflower features more Dennis leads than any other except LA (two solo, two shared with Carl), but it just seems strange everybody gets a turn except Dennis.

"Hey Bruce and Al, why don't you guys just sit on this cooler here"

They probably figured Al is so used to standing on a box, he won't mind sitting on a cooler.

For Dennis to be alive today, he would have had to clean up his lifestyle. If he had, my guess is his vocal would have come on a song of his own, figuring a clean Dennis would have been able to come up with one song that would make the cut.

Peter Carlin said it best in his book. Alan would have sided with the Wilson in '77 thru '79, EXCEPT look at their condition then.

That how I always figured it. I think Al would have been thrilled with a sober Dennis and Carl leading the band, and probably would have gone along with it if they had confined their drug and alcohol use/abuse to after hours.

The famous clip of "Surfer Girl" in Melbourne (which seems of to have disappeared from YouTube, even though other clips from that show are there) shows a lot. Carl, of course, is wasted and keeps interrupting a relatively sober Dennis giving the introduction, even cursing. At the end of the clip, as they take a group bow, Carl almost falls over. If you have that clip anywhere, look at Al when that happens. He doesn't look mad, he looks sad, as if he's thinking, "How did it come to this?"

Also, at the end of "Surfer Girl" in Knebworth, it looks like Carl (mostly cleaned up by this time, of course) is mad at Mike and wants to start something. Dennis steps in and turns it into a group bow, and Al shakes Dennis hand at the bottom of the bow. I think if not love that there was definitely a strong friendship between Dennis and Al.

Hell, even on perhaps the bitterest night in Beach Boys history, Dennis remembered it was Al's birthday.

I wonder if there are any iconic bands out there that are known for such wildly divergent (re: political) personalities. I'm sure there are, but none come to mind. Most are shades of grey.

Johnny Ramone was a staunch conservative, leading to lots of bad blood between him and Joey.

I thought the Brian-Carolyn affair was 1981 or early '82, just before he went back to Landy.

Is it a joke?! That nurse looks like Brian's granny! Can't believe he had an affair with such an old lady!

And Carolyn's friends might have said: "I can't believe Carolyn is having an affair with a 325-pound man who never takes a shower, no matter how rich and famous he is."

Best: I'm So Young (great call OneEar/OneEye)

Worst: Blueberry Hill

I saw them very early in the tour (May 12), and they were great. It seems like they've only gotten even better since.

It's amazing a few years ago we were celebrating the fact that they were able to get together for the photo op on the roof. I think a lot of us expected that to be the best Beach Boys reunion we would get. Instead, they come up with a largely terrific album and a kick-ass tour.

From the album to the Carl and Dennis tributes, to the varied setlists, to appearances by Calsaga, Billy Hinsche and Dean Torrance, to the respect they all seem to have shown to the shows and their legacy, I think I can some up the Beach Boys reunion in four words:

THEY DID IT RIGHT

I've seen it about a million times each way: Is he "Paul Mertens" or "Paul Von Mertens"?

Sound Of Free is awesome!

Thanks!

Oh, you're talking about the SONG. 

Obviously, I love it too, and think it's Dennis' best vocal.

For purely personal reasons, "From There To Back Again" has become the saddest song ever for me, so sad that I can't listen to it. I hope someday I will be able to, because it's a great song.

[What did he watch?]

I would ask him what kind of stuff he thought about when he used to run out of blow after binging for days and was too depressed to write any music. Did he just watch TV and smoke cigarettes? What did he watch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fdkg_sNRKc&feature=related

Hasn't someone on the board said that on the studio recording that it was Brian, coached and coaxed into it by Terry Melcher?

I like the song, but I think "Rainbows" would have been a better choice for a single.

Now THIS is a thread. Thanks, Ray.

Most people enjoy their jobs a lot some days and not so much on other days. So if we happen to see Brian on a night he's not "engaged," it doesn't mean he doesn't want to be touring. Some people have seen shows where Brian talked to the audience. When I saw the Boys at Mohegan Sun, he didn't say a single word, but he still sang great.

And the part about how hard the Dennis and Carl tributes hit him is accurate, too. He sees himself on state with the Beach Boys, but the two people he would most like to have their aren't. It would be tough for anyone to put on a happy face right after the final note of "God Only Knows."

And it's great to hear that Brian's back is getting better and he's looking to start walking in the hopes of losing weight.

I almost think they should have made an arrangement before the tour that Mike and Bruce couldn't tour as "The Beach Boys" after the tour. Maybe you would need four of the five guys to use the name, so that if Brian sat out a tour at least Mike, Al, Bruce and Dave would make it a more legitimate representation of "The Beach Boys" than just Mike and Bruce.

If they are going to split up again after the tour, let the two tour as "Mike and Bruce's Beach Party Band" or "Mike and Bruce's Beach Boys show."

Murry for all the reasons already stated, and Audree for insisting Brian add Dennis to the band.

Brian's "autobiography" – coming during the conservator fight with Landy – was VERY anti-Mike, but even in that book, Brian gives Mike credit for being the first person to believe in him as a songwriter. Brian was never the most confident guy and he needed someone behind him. Mike was the first one to do it.

I don't have the book anymore, and it's been a long time since I read it, but I believe it went something like this: Mike was trying to get Brian to write, and Brian didn't know if he could write songs good enough to be on the radio. Mike responded, "Brian, the stuff you come up with when you're just fooling around is better than most of the stuff on the radio." (quote my be slightly off, but that was the gist of it).

If Mike had never sung a lead or a great bass part, had never written a lyric and had never fronted a single concert, that conversation alone would make him hugely important.

In 1999 I saw Brian for the first time, on his birthday, at Mohegan Sun. Happy Birthday, and today at least, have al lthe birthday cake you want.

In the clip of "Imagine," I'm surprised to see Dennis playing drums. I would have thought he'd take that song off and let <Mike Kowalski handle on it on his own.