The Durie Parks acetates (and others); a bonus DVD with the complete footage shot by the team that filmed Brian performing Surf's Up in 67, as a bonus DVD, along with maybe Dennis Wilson's home movies from the era, if such exist; The Columbia vocal sessions; plus everything else that we already have gathered together under one roof, in crystal clear stereo.

[WOTS]

It's not WOTS, that's got about 30 tracks.

Has information been released about this? Can you share?

Blimey Whichone's, some of those are also old faves of mine. California Calling I always interpreted as self-parody really, a rare case of Mike displaying a wry sense of humour and an inkling of where the Bs had come from, and where they'd arrived at.

Cuckoo Clock is a tune of its era so I couldn't really knock it, though the BBs version of Louie Louie doesn't stand up to contemporary versions.

I Do Love You... I'm pretty undecided on it, probably cos I've rarely played it for nearly 22 years!

But Why Do Fools, I gt Around, Little Deuce Coupe are terrific.

Mnt Vernon' musical excerpts are exquisite, almost SMiLE-like occasionally.

School Days rocks in its own way and I love that little collection covers released between 76 and 80 (excpeting Peggy Sue).

Endlss HArmony is more of that BJ saccharin overose, though the closing harmony section ("And we sang...") is terrific.

Male Ego I accepted and liked at the time as a rare BW offering...

Peggy Sue already dissed in this lissed.

In the Still of the Night is fine by me.

Passing Friend I could live without along with most of SIP, MIU and the unreleased Christmas Album.

When Girls Get Together is dire. So is (unfortunately, as he seems a splendid chap) most of Bruce's input, other than Disney Girls which is the perfect blend of syrup, pop and sentiment. Dierdre and Tears in the Morning are  possibly the most sacchrine tunes I've heard.

A few folk have mentioned much of LA (Light) Album's tunes but Ilove Full Sail, Going South and even have a soft spot for Here Comes The Night. No jokes about swamps, please!

I've never heard Kokomo in Spanish but can safely guess it'd make my Base 10.

The song's exquisite. A major achievement.

FWIW, my idea of what comprised "The Elements" is:

Fire - "Mr's O'Leary's Fire"
Water - "Love To Sa Da Da"
Earth - "Fall Breaks..." (or an early version thereof)
Air - verse of "Country Air"

Based on mostly intuition, gut feeling and a few questions into the right ears.

Do you seriously think Country Air has some rooting in Smile or is that a bit of artistic license? Do you reckon Fall Breaks was once the Earth section?! Please elaborate if there is any evidence for these having a connection to the Elements, or at least which ones are based on 'questions into the right ears'!

Fire - obviously a given
Water - 75% a given
Earth - I asked someone who would probably know... they nodded, encouragingly
Air - the only known piece that fits the description of "Air" in the Priess book even vaguely is "Country Air". Plus they both have "Air" in the title.   

Am I right in thinking Andrew that you once said you'd been played something (by someone who might know) akin to Country Air in the context of it having been intnded as SMiLE's Air Element?

Thanks Buddha,

I don't follow the "available evidence" line on this one, too much like the government's "best available intelligence at the time" line. There's too much detail missing from the SMiLE era as it is and this might just be another example. Cripes, perhaps this session was one of the "trashed" Columbia vocal sessions!

Whatever, whether it's eventually shown to be SMiLE or not, in my fantasy picture of SMiLE as it stands now, IT IS and that's what counts, to me.

I remember during the SMiLE premier in London some dude in the front gushing "yes" when the band started the vocals during the Fire music. Like, it was part of HIS dream theory that those vocals had always belonged there. Even though they were part of "Fall Breaks", the idea that they were once part of the SMiLE album's "Fire" music had always been HIS fantasy, although there's no documentary evidence to suggest they belong there. All power to the guy.

It's important that we're all allowed to dream and entertain our own fantasies.

I hear the Windchimes link in my head right now! 

But despite the lack of AFM sheets I'm gonna cling to my theory cos it give me a degree of pleasure! I'll continue to assume they're SMiLE extracts spliced into a later session's output, and hope that one day, in the far-off future, my great grandchildren log on to find the evidence offered for downloading at beachboyscentral.com.

And then read Midnight's Children and find further confirmation!

And no, I don't assume the bootleggers are right every time. It was just a very odd slip that's always had me wondering. Can't think of the Deep Sea Treasures slip you mention but I'll listen to it soon - can you point me at it off the top of your head?

 

[Smile]

Small prob with "CWTL" being Smile out-takes - the earliest session was October 1967. 

... assuming that section was called CWTL at the time it was recorded, and not just salvaged from the sessions of another song. On the SoT set (I'm going by memory... it might have been Archaeology, or even another set), the final descending bass riff was labelled "Heroes". So many SMiLE songs were renamed, or became something else... can it be proven definitively that those sections I'm refering to were recorded as CWTL, and that they were definitely recorded in or after October 1967?

Terre Pume, it has to be said, has always struck me as a wonderful, honourable, loyal guy and folk should not  perceive his name in association with the bootlegging activities of  Drab. Yes, we all love bootlegs, but that betrayal of trust seems to me to have been a bit too much.

Back to Can't Wait Too Long -  I always assume (rightly or wrongly, I don't mind which) that the first and last bits of the first version I can remember hearing were SMiLE out-takes.

The first was what I called "the camp-fire intro", with accapella group humming, followed by a thumping instrumental accompanied (I recall) by handclaps.

The closing section I associate (rightly or wrongly, I don't mind which) with SMiLE was the "Baby you know that I, can't wait for ever, woke in the night again, we werem't together, windows of darkness are all I can see through, searching the shadows, hoping to see you…" section, and the descending base scales that followed.

That the latter made it on to the Sea of Tunes SMiLE set just added weight to my theory (rightly or wrongly, I don't mind which).

An online anagram generator is a wonderful thing. 

My understanding is that a number of fans are also not too happy with Mr. Tortilla Bed. 

I remember that Tortilla Bed bloke, he owes plenty of us money. I hope he gets bad bellirot.


That's a poor "anagram", I know.

Maybe when the First Wave stuff goes out of copyright we might get satisfaction, like the Elvis 5.1 set I picked up last week?

On the same label:

BRIAN WILSON, 1CDR, ROUGH ROAD (MISSING ANDY PALEY SESSIONS)


I'be two or three boots of the Paley sessions but nothing by this name... unless it's just a pirate of a boot, renamed...

BEACH BOYS, 2CDR, KENTUCKY DREAMIN' (KENTUCKY HORSE PARK, LEXINGTON, KY '98.5.6) (SBD)

BEACH BOYS & THE FLAME, 1CDR, THE END IS BEGINNINGS (WHISKEY A GO GO, LA 11/1970)
   
Haven't come across either of these before -  they're on the Happyweed label, but that's as much as I know.

If anyone can post a tracklist I'd be a happy man.

From a website what I just found (note the alternate endings to rounds, suggested at the very end of the alternate version). Water Water Water indeed! This idea grows on me.

Original version; written by: Unknown, copyright unknown

Late one night
When we were all in bed
Old Mother Leary
Left a lantern in the shed

And when the cow kicked it over,
She winked her eye and said,
"There’ll be a hot time
In the old town, tonight."

Spoken:
"FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"

Expanded version, most familiar in Chicago:

5 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE!

4 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE!

3 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE!

2 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE

1 night ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!

FIRE FIRE FIRE!

Note -- other "rounds" can be concluded with:

*   Water, Water, Water!
*   Jump, Lady, Jump!
*   Save my Child, Save my Child!

Hi SRH

I have indeed been to those sites but must be at a disadvantage as I guess I’ve missed any posts in which Alan’s stated just what’s going to be available at Central.

My point was simply that the BBs aren’t the first group to have such a facility on line.

The main site I guess that most closely embodies the point I’m trying to make is that of The Doors, which has been releasing a slow but steady stream of archive live recordings for years, on CD.

I was hoping BBs-Central.com would also be releasing its material on CD (or DVD, DVD-A…) –  I don’t really want a bunch of ephemeral downloads; I’m a collector and want something tangible to drool over!

But so far, anyway, BBs-Central.com hasn’t released anything and while I fully appreciate it’s something that won’t happen overnight, that is, currently, the BIG difference between those sites.

Blimey what a memory - and yes it was the Surf Punks. The review was in a UK music paper (Sounds? NME? Record Mirror?...) which is why I'd assumed London. Cheers Mr AGD - no doubt see you Sunday! And Tuesday?

Somewhere among my press cuttings I have a review of an American Spring gig that was, I think played in London, probably in the early 1980s. I think Brian was in the audience too, but might be misremembering. Wouldn't it be great if gigs like that were recorded and could be released on central.com?

The reviewer's overall tone was that you can inherit talent from your folks but you can't marry into it.

This is a groundbreaking move, as I know of no other major band that has ever done this kind of thing.  The Stones, Beatles, the Who - nobody else has pulled off anything like this.

www.thewhostore.com (courtesy of Eel Pie
www.thedoors.com  (seems to be undergoing a revamp... try here: http://www.rhinohandmade.com/Browse/browsedoors.lasso)
www.neilyoung.com/archives/fillmore-east/fillmore-east.html

Can anybody add any others to the list?

Been picking up plety of airplay of Radio 2 in the UK. Sounds like the Cat Stevens of old to these ears, and pretty laid back.

Some of the best album releases over the last two or three years have come from the old school:

The Who
Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Brian Wilson (SMiLE)
Yusuf (Cat Stevens as was)
Elton John

...and others ...

... all these guys are not only revitalised but reaching a fresh peak era. Best new album? Joanna Newsom's Ys, with orchestrations by Van Dyke Parks in the style of
Song Cycle. Incredible.

Agreed Zander. It's pitiable.

this has been sent:


Dear Mr Elliott,

I'm one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of folks who have, in good faith, just paid money for what would appear to be a bootleg CD of The Flame's album The Flame, produced by Beach Boy Carl Wilson.  I actually bought it in HMV in Glasgow, a dealer with a good High Street presence. Probably duped by the distributor.

The CD appears to have been recorded directly from a vinyl version of the original LP. While it's not bad, it's not the high fidelity I'd expect to hear from Steve Desper's superb work. I'm sure he's as disappointed in this release as the rest of us.

I'd like to add my voice to the calls for a proper remastered release of this work; in fact why not get Rhino or such-like to put out a box-set of this and the Flame's other works.

I'd be more than happy to buy this release again, in the true high quality it deserves.

Very best wishes,

John

My favourites can only be what I've been listening to mainly..

1. Surf's Up (1971 version)
2. Day in the Life of a Tree
2. Heroes (1966/67 versions)
4. Vibes (SoT discs... well someone has to listen to them all from time to time)
5. Time to Get Alone (20/20 version)
6. Saturday Morning in the City (all versions)


(this where my listening habits break down and I stop following the rules of the game already... just ain't been listening to the Boys as much recently)

7. This Note's For You  (Neil Young)
8. Keep on Rockin' in the Free World (also Neil Young)
9. Fish Heads (Barnes & Barnes)
10. Tell Me Why (back to Neil Young again...)

Agreed Bubba -  I reckon it's the best since Leaf's effort some time back, and far more objective. The longer I sit back and think about it, the more I think PAC's is the best of the biograhies to date.

If you have  $9500 to spare – and understand that the attendees have many other calls on their time!


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Camp Counselors

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Artimus Pyle • Lynyrd Skynyrd
Gary Burr • Ringo Starr & Carole King
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