I listened to the interview and thought Valvano did all he could to get Brian to talk. It was pretty obvious to me that Brian just doesn't like doing these interviews anymore. Everyone asks him the same old tired questions, and he's bored with it. Bob Dylan hates interviews, but at least he'll say something just to get a reaction out of people. Brian should not have to do this stuff anymore. I'm not even sure he should be touring at this stage, but I accept that's how he's going to spend the rest of his life - it pays the bills. But stop the interviews, I don't think these things are going to get more people out to the shows.

Love and Stamos is what you need tonight. *shudder*

Exactly what I thought when I saw the thread title.

Love and Stamos to you and your friends tonight.

I was lyin' in bed when the two came on tv,
a lot of people out there surfin'
and it really scares me

I don't hear Dennis at all in What You Do To Me, but if I put the dvd into my other dvd player I use as a "CD player" and turn the volume up a bit, I can hear Dennis rather enthusiastically congratulating Carl after the song ends. It's quite touching, if a bit sad because his voice is so hoarse you can't quite make out what he says. By the way, you can actually hear(and see) Dennis saying "Are you ready?" before the show starts.

The way that show started, with each of the Beach Boys being driven onto the field, and over to the stage, made for a very long introduction. I think Dennis was getting impatient at waiting for the other guys to get there. IIRC, Dennis and Mike were up there first, Brian and Carl were last.

"Unleash The Love" ...while openly supporting a man whose flammable rhetoric have now manifested itself in attempted assassinations of his critics and opponents.

I suppose the album title always was more of a casual pun on words as opposed to any actual values of love held or professed by Mr Love.
One may be forgiven for placing deeper meaning than that which was intended.

Good luck, my American friends.

Truth. History will be no more on Mike's side than Trump's.

The fact that Mike has gone out of his way to be overtly political, posing with Trump, and hanging out whenever possible repeatedly "buddying-up" with Trump unfortunately makes this an "on topic" subject when discussing the band. The optics have been burned into the public's minds over and over again. Let's not forget that Mike Love trended on Twitter just recently, which is quite a feat for a guy who has been anything but Mr. Popularity within his own industry.  He trended because he tied in himself (and unfortunately the brand) with Trump. Anything for free publicity I guess.

(Side note: while I despise Trump, I cannot find fault with Trump's particular action of signing that music bill into law, although it still seems shocking that he'd do an action for any reason other than self-serving purposes).

But Mike continually going out of his way in a seemingly star-struck manner to visually remind the public of his (Mike's) support of Trump will have an impact on this band; many people will continue to lump in the whole band (Mike, after all, "is" The Beach Boys, right?) with support of Trump's policies, anti-LGBT agenda, etc. Mike can't just say that he "doesn't support all of Trump's policies" and expect this to be a get-out-of-jail-free card, "allowing" him to repeatedly support and align himself with someone who promotes hate.

Mike should be asked by reporters in all his future interviews "what do you say to LGBT Beach Boys fans who question your repeated support and posing with a president who is stripping them of all sorts of rights?" This should be something Mike should consider,  but he's seemingly too far in a bubble in the Naked Room on his tour to even think about this stuff. It doesn't friggin' matter to him. The LGBT community must not be lining Mike's pockets enough for him to care. That's a fact. If he thought it'd truly hurt his bottom line, he would not be posing with Trump repeatedly.

There will be a sizeable amount of people who will never want anything to do with Mike Love or the band due to this. Maybe not enough to hurt his tour numbers of fans wanting to see a band named The Beach Boys regardless of who's in it... but it just cements many people who miiiiiiiight have been willing to turn the corner and appreciate Mike's genuine talent for his work on, say, Wild Honey as revealed on Sunshine Tomorrow, but will now just dismiss him entirely for all times. It's just ironic to the max for a guy who doubly ironically is named Love and triply ironically is unleashing the bird of peace on his album cover.

I wish this was off topic, but it sadly isn't.

That is some chutzpah of Mike having a US flag with a peace symbol on his album cover. Peace and Love goes reeeal nice with Anti-LGBT rights. Mike's album cover is like the prequel to Mel Brooks' High Anxiety.

Well, you know, it's quite possible that LGBTQ rights isn't the #1 on Mike's radar. There are many, many other issues in the forefront right now. And let's not forget how Mike tried to buddy up with Ronald Reagan when he was in office. This, despite Mike's oft stated concern for environmental issues. Maybe, just maybe, by buddying up with these guys, Mike hopes to have the opportunity to discuss some of the issues he cares about with them. Or maybe not. I don't claim to be able to read Mike's mind.

Now please, somebody please go get me a hamburger. Then we'll have world peace.

In the 1983 Seattle show, when Carl is singing "What You Do to Me," Dennis at one point goes over and joins Al at a microphone to sing background, with his hand to his ear the way he liked to do. But I can't actually hear his voice.

I'm familiar with that clip - I was at the show! I don't remember hearing Dennis sing ANYTHING at that show. But I was unaware of his personal problems at that time; I was more interested in the fact that Brian was at the show, and looking better than he had in a long time.

In the modern day equivalent of the LP cut-out bin, Amazon is now selling the Unleash the Love 2 disc vinyl album for $5.06 with free Prime shipping. Adjusting back for inflation, that's like selling a double album for 70 cents 50 years ago in 1968.

Wow, maybe I should go ahead and get it! Although the second disc won't get much play around here.
But my most desired piece of BB-related vinyl would be...no, not Summer in Paradise....
Orange Crate Art.
Well, I guess I can dream.

I can't believe they still haven't inducted Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Jan & Dean, or The Monkees.

I'm not surprised. Those groups aren't considered hip. They're too good for this crummy HOF.

Listened at last to the new album. It's good. 3/5.

I wonder if this album might encourage Little Richard to bless us one more time?

It would be cool. Btw, didn't know they'd friendly competition.

I still haven't listened to the album, although my brother owns it (in fact, I gave it to him as a birthday present) 

Well, Little Richard officially retired. I don't think he's recording. Shortly before he died, George Jones planned to record one last album and said that Little Richard wrote a song for him. Unfortunately, I don't think George ever got around to record it (or anything for that album)

Yes, Richard retired. Last year, he was on a religious channel, 3ABN, sans wig, makeup, etc, denouncing rock and roll (again). He did say something about recording a gospel song with Tom Jones, but who knows if that will ever happen.

I think that even up to 1980, Dennis had a pretty good voice. It wasn't until the 1981 beating that it became beyond repair(to my ears, at least). I know that in 1982 the group occasionally performed "It's OK", but I don't know who did the "find a ride" part. I can't tell who is singing it in the one version I've heard. It would have been interesting if Dennis would attempted Angel Come Home around that time. Perhaps Carl could have handled the chorus, leaving Dennis for the relatively quiet parts.

Who beat him in 1981?

I don't see a sequel happening; but with this film being Brian's story, and an upcoming Dennis bio on the way, I would say each of the guys should have their own biopic. Mike sort of had his own biopic with that tv mini series some years back, but what about the rest of the guys? I think each of them deserves a film of their own. We know, of course, what the main thrust of these will be:
Dennis learns drums so he can be a member of the band; quickly becomes the chick magnet of the group, f**ks every female he meets, meets Manson, f**ks more chicks, takes drugs, creates one masterpiece solo album, takes more drugs, and dies tragically young.
Carl learns to play guitar, becomes the onstage leader of the Beach Boys, learns to produce records from watching Brian in the studio; becomes the best singer in the group bar nobody; spirals downward into drug addiction, goes onstage drunk in Australia; cleans up, goes solo, and dies tragically young. 's
Al becomes pals with Brian in high school, they start a group together, then Al quits to go to dental school. Al comes back, stays with the group until Mike kicks him out.
Bruce's biopic might be the most different one, if they want to cover his pre-BB career. That might actually be more deserving of a documentary style film. Then he joins the BB's in 1965, and quickly becomes the band member best at wearing shorts, adjusting his mic stand, and encouraging the fans to clap.

I realize this is probably a stupid question, but I've just noticed that I've never heard of Brian playing guitar on a session or live at a concert. I know that he pretty much picked up the bass as "his" touring instrument, but did he ever learn guitar?

I remember back in 86/87, BBFUN mentioning that Brian would be playing a variety of instruments on his solo album, including Fender guitar. Maybe they meant Fender bass.

I never knew Marshall Grant to be a songwriter. So I would bet it's a Perkins song.

Here's an amazing song by Carl from 1972, "The Trip". I totally forgot about it, but what a gem! And imo more prove that with the right management he could've made it big in the country and later country rock field. "Cotton top" and "Me without you" were small hits, "Restless" a bigger one. With more promotion I think there was definitely an audience for his new songs.
Anyway, enjoy this. It's perfect for such a late-summer day as we have it today in Germany.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8krkjtDPfN8

Unfortunately only a neelde-drop- It's available in great sound on the "Back on top"-boxset.

There's an ad on spotify now that uses Restless. I don't know who's doing it, but glad one of Carl's best songs is getting exposure.

Oh really? That's cool! I didn't know that? Is it available to watch without having spotify?

I have no idea. I don't have spotify on all that often; may try to find it on youtube.

I'm waiting for the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road. The white album was documented pretty well on Anthology 3; AR wasn't. I'm not a person that needs to hear every outtake, every burp, every hiccup.

Wow! It's being reported that Egypt Station is set for a #1 debut on Billboard 200. Would be his first #1 since Tug Of War.

I'm surprised Flaming Pine Tree or one of the others didn't debut at #1. That's the way the biz is now for veteran acts - push the pre-orders, so that when you add up several months of those, you have a phenomenal first week. It looks impressive, but then the second week comes, and there is a serious drop off in sales, as we've seen with Brian's recent albums, and TWGMTR. I found it more interesting in the days when an album would debut lower down the charts, and then climb and climb until it reached a peak.

Here's an amazing song by Carl from 1972, "The Trip". I totally forgot about it, but what a gem! And imo more prove that with the right management he could've made it big in the country and later country rock field. "Cotton top" and "Me without you" were small hits, "Restless" a bigger one. With more promotion I think there was definitely an audience for his new songs.
Anyway, enjoy this. It's perfect for such a late-summer day as we have it today in Germany.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8krkjtDPfN8

Unfortunately only a neelde-drop- It's available in great sound on the "Back on top"-boxset.

There's an ad on spotify now that uses Restless. I don't know who's doing it, but glad one of Carl's best songs is getting exposure.

I like the song, but I would've chosen Al to be the lead singer on this song. Mike would be the natural choice, and that's why I choose Al - just because he sounds great on it, and he needs more lead vocals. 

I attended the Mt. Winery show lastnight in the SF Bay area. The crowd was very much into the classics, but rather motionless and with minimal applause for his (Love's) new solo work. I went with a group of casual fans all of which thought the new songs were pretty weak. I thought they were awful. All The Love in Paris being the best out of the three...but still meh.

How many damn songs will he write that includes his last name in the title? Does he think we all believe he's really clever? Does he not realize how lame that is? Again, a group of casual fans I was with (who supplied me with a free ticket) all leaned over and whispered to me...how lame. I can only imagine what Dennis would think.

"All the Love in Paris", "Unleash the Love", and on the way into the venue they were playing random Beach Boy and Mike Love songs, one of which seemed to have the title "Make Love Not War"....I wouldn't know as I wouldn't buy the album.

BTW, it seems very shady to plug your solo album and play three tracks at a show billed as the Beach Boys. Totten's and Cowsil's playing/singing were the highlights lastnight....

Okay, i'll accept that; and Brian and Al and Blondie shouldn't be doing Beach Boys songs in a concert advertised as a Brian Wilson show.
Bring on Melt Away, There's So Many, Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight, Let's Go to Heaven in My Car, Orange Crate Art, San Francisco, Palm Tree and Moon, Where Has Love Been, Lay Down Burden, ...well, you get the idea.

Danke schön, Rocker. You da man!

I'm only trying   

I remember getting Tug of War, and really enjoying "Get it", but I kept reading about another song Carl recorded with McCartney called "My Old Friend". Everytime i'd see a new Carl Perkins album, i'd look for that song, but no luck....until, finally, it appeared on Go Cat Go in 1996. I'd also seen some pics of Carl in the studio with Paul and Denny Laine, jamming on some of the classics. Somewhere i'll bet there is a reel of tape of these 3 guys having fun with some of those great old songs. Probably not likely to be released any time soon, though. Tug of War already got the deluxe treatment, and there was very little in terms of outtakes and rare tracks.

These pictures are the only ones I could find right now. I guess they come frome those session, don't they?








I heard about rumours that "Get it" was actually co-written by Carl. I am not sure right now if Carl mentions that even on the unedited show at Lone Star Café, I'd have to listen to that again. There are certainly parts that sound like they could come from him in that song, but otherwise there is no need to think McCartney couldn't have written them himself. Also I'd think that Carl would've gotten a credit if he really did substantially write a part of that song.

"My old friend" was indeed often talked about by Carl as it seems. He even performed it solo in an interview with Bobby Bare in the 80s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHH-4q8kA00

7:28 mins.

Those 2 pics look familiar; there were a few others in the deluxe reissue of Tug of War.

[Bobbie Gentry Had The Most Gorgeous Legs Ever: On The Record With Jimmie Haskell]

That was a wonderful link to the Jim Stafford interview. Hope he will eventually be comfortable talking about Bobbie on the record.

Earlier this week I finally got around to publishing my interview with Grammy-winning arranger Jimmie Haskell (worked with Rick Nelson, Elvis, hundreds of others)


Bobbie Gentry Had The Most Gorgeous Legs Ever: On The Record With Jimmie Haskell
http://www.examiner.com/article/bobbie-gentry-had-the-most-gorgeous-legs-ever-on-the-record-with-jimmie-haskell


Here is what Haskell talks about...

Haskell sets the record straight on his initial meeting with Gentry (she liked his beard), recording the string arrangement for "Ode to Billie Joe" as if it were a movie, Capitol being initially embarrassed by the recording, how the alluring songwriter handily dealt with the musician who claimed he "produced" "Ode to Billie Joe", and what it was like to receive a Grammy for the legendary song.

Believe it or not, the easy-going and forthright gentleman briefly dated the girl with the most beautiful legs ever. Once she became wealthy, Haskell analyzes whether fame and fortune affected Gentry's personality in an adverse manner. A glaring example: what occurred backstage at a Memphis Symphony concert when a facility manager did not meet her demands.

And has the singer/songwriter attempted to rejuvenate her long-dormant recording career? You might be surprised at Haskell's revelation that an out-of-the-blue phone call after decades of non-communication was poised to reunite the duo in the studio but inexplicably failed to materialize.

It's odd to me that guys rave about her legs - I never saw them! She was always in slacks or something.
Glen's duets with Bobbie were so successful, that later on, Capitol tried pairing him up with Anne Murray. They did an album together, but I don't recall it producing any hits.
And much later, of course, Glen sang with Tanya Tucker....

I remember getting Tug of War, and really enjoying "Get it", but I kept reading about another song Carl recorded with McCartney called "My Old Friend". Everytime i'd see a new Carl Perkins album, i'd look for that song, but no luck....until, finally, it appeared on Go Cat Go in 1996. I'd also seen some pics of Carl in the studio with Paul and Denny Laine, jamming on some of the classics. Somewhere i'll bet there is a reel of tape of these 3 guys having fun with some of those great old songs. Probably not likely to be released any time soon, though. Tug of War already got the deluxe treatment, and there was very little in terms of outtakes and rare tracks.

He sure looks to be singing a lead on this one. Some great pictures. Good find!

It looks like hes really excited to be playing with The Beach Boys. Like reeealy excited.

Well, what did you want him to do, jump around and scream with joy that "i'm just so garsh darned happy to be hear with the Beach Boys, yee-haw!" He's probably singing his solo here, and it's not exactly a party type of song.

Those guys were so excited just to be playing with Carl. I mean, he even got that recluse George Harrison out of the house to play!

And then there's this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMjPRDP_7Ms

Yeah, that's from a documentary called "The Movie Life of George". But you probably knew that. For the rest here, though, they had an anniversary party for George's Handmade Films, and Carl was invited to be the entertainment. Carl's band in the video is his sons Stan and Greg.

Hair aside, that video just shows again how Carl had that amazing country boogie feel when he played, no matter who the band was backing him. It's really something. It's not unique necessarily, but the way Carl put it all together and added up with his lyrics, it was his calling card. Great music.

Re: The hair. I think some of this has to be chalked up to the way the country music industry operated and what was expected from performers. It was a very, very controlled and even prohibitive scene around the Opry up until the rules started to change. The fans wanted artists to look a certain way, and a lot of times it was over the top "clean" while still being flashy enough to say this person is a performer.

Look at any country themed TV shows or concert photos from the 60's and especially into the 70's. Especially the male artists, the hair styles were ridiculous. I call it "Televangelist Hair", just these crazy helmets of hair combed and styled so precise as to look like it came  stamped out of a mold. You don't see many bald artists...and the stone-cold country artists who were playing on Hee-Haw or the Wilburn Brothers TV shows, or anything featuring Porter Wagoner or Conway Twitty...etc etc etc...the male hair styles were a thing. I think if an artist was balding, or had hair issues, they'd  probably be advised to get a wig or a piece of some kind. The female artists...huge, over the top hairdos and wigs were just part of how you'd dress in the country circuit.

So Carl wearing a wig may have been a personal choice, he didn't hide it, but I also think it was just part of being in country music during those years, part of the image.

I agree. And Carl knew he didn't have the looks to be a pop star.

Yeah, excactly. That's what I meant when I said it was a wrong move to try to sell him as a "good time teenage-idol Rock'n'Roll nostalgia act" in the 70s, but you're description certainly makes the point much clearer. I think it would've been much better to have him being the country artist he was. I could see him as having a part in the outlaw movement although he was probably a little too old at that point to be considered one of those guys (same with Johnny Cash).

Hair aside, that video just shows again how Carl had that amazing country boogie feel when he played, no matter who the band was backing him. It's really something. It's not unique necessarily, but the way Carl put it all together and added up with his lyrics, it was his calling card. Great music.

There's also another point: Carl had his own sound. Even if you played the exact same thing, you'd know by the first note when it was Carl's turn. It's like Jerry Lee's piano playing or B. B. King's guitar. You just know when it's them. Stylists, I guess.
Just look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqS_nJBMvAI

 


Also when you look at the video above and others of Carl's live shows, it's never one of those nostalgia/Rockabilly revival stuff. He's always doing the real thing. Personally, I really don't like the revival acts. Even if they are good musicians, that stuff it just doesn't do what the real Rockabilly (as I said above, I don't like to use that term, because it is so overloaded with the nostalgia stuff) sound did and was.

It always annoys me when some younger performer talks about Gene Vincent or Eddie Cochran or Buddy Holly as the King of Rockabilly

Yes, but Buddy Holly at least was really good and Eddie had some fine singles and certainly potential. But what I can't stand is when people call basically everyone a "legend" who recorded a song back in the 50s. Even if it was a terrible record and a flop on the charts, as long as it sounds a certain way - say: old (mostly the kind of sound the neo-Rockabillys are looking for) - it is considered legendary - back in the 50s it was just a failed try to copy the real Rock'n'Roll/Rockabilly acts by lesser gifted Pat Boones. I mean, if you like listening to that stuff and get some pleasure, that's fine. It just shouldn't be made to what it isn't and never was. Do you know where I'm going? As so often, I can't really get it into better english at this point 



BTW guys, I really enjoy this. Who would've thought that there are people on a Beach Boys board with whom I can talk about Carl Perkins! Even on Elvis boards it's seldomly more than a look at his Sun recordings and maybe the '86 special and that's it. Thanks for this!

Yeah, well, that's kind of what I was getting at with my comments about Buddy, Eddie. etc. In fact, aside from Elvis, Buddy seems to be the most popular of the 50s rockers now. Even teens and 20-somethings know his music - even if they don't listen to any other artists from the 50's. I think part of the intrigue with Buddy is the early death. Carl Perkins was doomed to just be an average looking guy - well, I guess Buddy was, too, but the glasses kind of became a gimmick that worked for him. But Carl was just as talented as Buddy; he was just as talented as Chuck Berry. And unlike Chuck, he didn't dry up as a songwriter in later years, he kept coming up with great stuff. But I guess Carl's rockabilly was a bit too country or honky tonk for the average pop radio listener. It seemed to be a style of music that the masses could only appreciate if it was given more of a pop feel - Elvis' early RCA recordings, Ricky Nelson's 50s stuff on Imperial. But it's nice to know that musicians recognized how great Carl was. That Showtime special confirmed that. Those guys were so excited just to be playing with Carl. I mean, he even got that recluse George Harrison out of the house to play!

 Blondie?