Mike is the Beach Boys, at least in spirit and in terms of mileage and man hours. But not once has he made the claim that he should somehow be more talented than cousin Brian.

   Mike is not the Beach Boys, despite reports from some close to him that he has wanted to be known as The Beach Boys for years (decades actually) in terms of public opinion.

If there are some revisionist circles still trying to claim Mike Love is The Beach Boys, I wouldn't be surprised but it's both sad and pathetic to see. So much for "it's all about the music". And if indeed Mike is now supposed to be The Beach Boys, maybe that answers the questions posted recently asking why The Beach Boys don't have the name recognition or aren't talked about on the same level as some of their legacy-act contemporaries from the 60's and 70's. There has been one member touring as the band for 30 years and using the name to promote solo projects. That doesn't make him the band.

And that's the bottom line, isn't it? The music is The Beach Boys. Not the guy who tours under the name. Same goes for other "name" bands who have one or two members using the name while key players and founding members are not with them.

This is not about who has the right to tour under the name The Beach Boys, for none of the factions have that. Mike personifies the Beach Boys, is more like it. Relentless touring with his at times county fair type oldies jukebox set list is not for diehard fans. But it has kept the name alive. Had he retired, say, when Carl died, BB would have rested on their laurels, perhaps with more credibility, but certainly less name recognition.

The two Celebration albums would make a nice twofer, if space allows.

I don't think Mike spends much time Looking Back (with Love); his focus is always on the next gig, the next session, the next show. LBWL is not hard to find on vinyl; surprised one of those reissue labels hasn't put it on cd. I, for one, am glad he finally got interested again in making some new music.

Yeah, me too. As I recall, LBWL was on a major label, was it not?

Face it man, SIP is the Mike Love solo standard. 12 Sides of Summer is the most hollow of them all and they're all pathetically in the same vein. Why would anyone think that something good could be crafted by someone as untalented as he is??? The only thing that gleams positive is that yes, time for him is running out and hopefully this last batch of slop will be his last, but if he somehow insists on being ignored, there could be more and more which will only go to cement the fact that he cannot write a song worthy of release or pique the interest of anyone with earshot of any taste whatsoever. The sad fact is that he'll go to his grave thinking he's absolutely more talented than his famous cousin and that he is The Beach Boys.

Nah, SIP was the responsibility of all involved. They tried to be contemporary, but missed the mark. Odd that one so biased against the Lovester would go to the trouble of listening to all three, if you have? UTL has got some rather fine songs, including a faux-Krishna chant that is quite, ahem, "enchanting". Mike is the Beach Boys, at least in spirit and in terms of mileage and man hours. But not once has he made the claim that he should somehow be more talented than cousin Brian.

Mike Love. Three new albums in as many years. Mike is 78 now. Time is running out, and it seems as if he wants to get these last statements out before he retires. I bought "Unleash the Love" and I liked it. Won't be playing disc two much, but I am glad to know it's there. And the Christmas album - Mike knows how to do Christmas. The latest, "12 Sides of Summer", I might sit that one out. Read nothing but bad reviews of it. Could it be worse than even "Summer in Paradise"?

Which leads us to the next question, if Mike can get these new albums out, do you think there's an outside chance we might get reissues of the older solo stuff? "Looking Back With Love", "Mike Love Not War", and the Celebration stuff?

from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3337013/John-Stamos-shares-awkward-prom-photo-famous-tresses-coiffed-perfection-then.html

It's one of his best features: John Stamos took to Instagram on Thanksgiving Day to post a Throwback snap of himself as a teen in a white tuxedo with his thick hair even more beautifully styled than his pretty date's tresses

Right, hang on to those remasters released before 2008. The scale of this loss is so big, I can't even cry, this is a music fan's worst nightmare come true.

I get notifications from amazon about Holy Man and Bambu, but vinyl only! Bambu does not offer anything not on CD, I don't think, but Holy Man would have made a nice CD single. Any idea why they chose vinyl only release?

David Marks' album from 2003, "Something Funny Goin' On" - why is this never seen second hand? Amazon doesn't have it, neither does Discogs. If Discogs doesn't have it, it is scarce, perhaps impossible to find. Has anyone seen it for sale lately? Know anything about the size of the press run? It's an indie label release., Reverse Falcon.

I think that, as with any long-lived act, the studio albums (self-penned), are put out less frequently as the years pass. There is this inevitable slowing down, and it's probably a case of both running out of ideas and also the grind of having been active for so long. Would they have been more active in the studio in the 90s, if they had cut back on touring? Perhaps, but not by much.

Sounds like a very honorable way to close a career, Nate, such a show I'd definitely pay good money to see! Also, a tribute band touring does not seem too far-fetched, but it's important that they designate it as such.

Pinetop Perkins was over 90 and still touring. Then you have your Tony Bennetts of this world. Let's see, Brian is 77, Mike 78... As much as I love the Beach Boys, I can't see this going on for much longer. It does seem like pop and rock musicians retire earlier than their peers in other genres of music. It's the very nature of pop and rock, it's a young man's game, or at least it was originally.

1. When do you think they will retire altogether?
2. When do you think they should retire?

Don't know why they have included Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton, guess it's because so many key players are dead now.

Wow! Thanks Mark, yes, I plan to get both. I am hoping for some Carl or David vocals on there.

Hello! Found another BB-related CD to add to the archives, California Feeling  2". It's got David, Carl, even some songs by Dennis as sung by his son. Anybody own this? What should I expect? And how about CF1 ?

"

We've seen the boots with the dodgy artwork, but was there an official cover, before the album was shelved by Sire?

Spotted on amazon.co.uk, a mounted mini poster, the image taken from a rare rock art book:

1. Pet Sounds
2. Surf's Up
3. The Beach Boys Today!
4. All Summer Long
5. Sunflower
6. Holland
7. Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)
8. Little Deuce Coupe
9.SMiLE Sessions
10. Orange Crate Art

Just want to alert you to this Japanese revival poster from 2012. It's actually a B5 Chirashi flyer, but the B2 poster will be the same design. It takes the US poster design and improves on it. Better contrast image, better formatted and framed, even the graphics are better.



I say revival, but for all I know it could be the Japanese premiere.

I see that covers are allowed: Hushabye, Sloop John B, okay...

1. Don't Worry, Baby
2. California Girls
3. Surf's Up
4. This Whole World
5. 'Til I Die
6.  Here Today
7.  Feel Flows
8.  Good Timin'
9.  Sail on Sailor
10. Do It Again

I don't know how meaningful this topic is, and you may have discussed it before, but I'd like to know what you think of the other songwriters in the band. I mean, Brian is so far ahead of the others, in a league of his own, that perhaps it's a moot point to even consider who is second best. The others are good for a few classics and Dennis certainly showed potential for a solo career, but really it has to be Dennis or Carl, isn't it?

Dennis:

Forever
Little Bird
Fallin' in Love

Carl:

Feel Flows
Trader
Good Timin' (co-write)

"Surf's up", the 1971 album version was the moment when it clicked, when I realized the band made not only great records, but great art, profound art. The 1967 version with Brian alone at the piano was the one that made Leonard Bernstein take notice, but I'd venture that Carl's 1971 production is the grand statement, and it was a stroke of genius to add the "Child is father of the man" coda.

Until I'd heard "Surf's up" on "Ten Years of Harmony", I'd only really been familiar with the Capitol years, all good, but Surf's up" was my epiphany and the Beach Boys became my favorite band of all time.

The whole thing is perfect, but I can even pinpoint the exact moment in the song when it dawned on me:

Surf's Up
Aboard a tidal wave
Come about hard and join
The young and often spring you gave
I heard the word
Wonderful thing
A children's song

...AND we then get the Child, child, child" washing over us. Brilliant. Love the mmmm sound right before "Aboard a tidal wave", that floating, ethereal state it put me in. Dreamy. I put that cassette on repeat and played it on my walkman right the way through a boat trip from England to Denmark. Over and over, and I never got tired of it. Imagine, if they had completed SMiLE and released it, we'd never have gotten this version.

But Brian only got the Kennedy Award, so it wouldn't be right if Mike topped him with the Presidential. Give that to all BB principals for their ENORMOUS contibution to American culture, I'd have no problem with that.

In addition to Common thread, there was the live album Hell Freezes Over, which contained a tantalizing four new songs. I'd think that one also spurred the massive sales to follow.

And of course their GH vol.1 sold Thriller level.

Haven't seen too many, and I suppose I could just go to youtube, but what do you say? Certainly the promos for Pet Sounds were among the weirdest: the one in the pool, Mike with a Halloween mask, etc. "Summer in Paradise" was an okay promo, surprisingly good for something off that dud album. But I really can't think of any perfect sound and vision matches offhand.

For a moment there I thought this was about Endless Summer being back on the charts, now THAT would have been news!

Has any other band ever enjoyed such a comeback on the strength of a comp alone?