Just posted Celebrate the News, too.

Have to reacquaint myself with putting up the YouTube link

For some reason I haven't been able to log in here forever... It's nice to be back, especially at such a promising time

[Pacific Ocean Blues]

Unbelievable use of the song Pacific Ocean Blues in Season 2 of Goliath!  Can't find it right now, but pretty sure it's on YouTube

Keep up the great work, Ian.  These "week in BB History" always evoke such great memories for me!

You're a lucky man Ed. I'll bet he was a unique friend in many ways.

Still feel him by my side...

[I'm driving up the hill, and a guy was crossing the narrow street where I had to slow down until he crossed. I did a double-take, wound down my window, and yelled out "Blondie Chaplin!!!". He paused and smiled, said something like "Hey man! How are you?" and I said "Doing great! How are you!" and he replied "Amazing!" or something like that...I don't remember exactly because it caught me by surprise. I waved and kept driving, and Blondie kept walking.]

I agree, those off-guard moments can be beyond cool. I'm thinking of even the story in Brian's book when he was randomly walking on a path in Maui ( ! ) and Magic Johnson was walking the same path toward him. Magic said "Hi Brian" and Brian said "Hey Magic!" and they kept walking. That's pretty damn cool, lol.

Not an earth-shattering example but it was cool for me...driving to attend a Brian show last fall, I turned right up a side street at the venue to find off-street parking where I had parked at the same venue the previous year for a show. I'm driving up the hill, and a guy was crossing the narrow street where I had to slow down until he crossed. I did a double-take, wound down my window, and yelled out "Blondie Chaplin!!!". He paused and smiled, said something like "Hey man! How are you?" and I said "Doing great! How are you!" and he replied "Amazing!" or something like that...I don't remember exactly because it caught me by surprise. I waved and kept driving, and Blondie kept walking.

Just one of those neat experiences fans appreciate because it's so random. Like, you don't expect to randomly have to slow your car down to let Blondie Chaplin cross the street on a back road.

Funny how a coincidence like this one can alter your life; it certainly changed mine...
I was leaving The Beach Boys concert at The Fillmore East in October, 1968, when I saw Dennis Wilson shuffling across the street in front of my car, a girl under his arm and a can of beer in his hand.  I quickly shouted out, "Hey Dennis!  Great concert!", and he dashed over to me and said, "Quick, can you give me a ride to my hotel???"
Turned out they had hired extra security to keep him from leaving between shows, and he gave his girl his overcoat and told her to dash to the front of the stage at the encore.  He then jumped into the audience and exited with the crowd!  So began a whirlwind friendship that last until that fateful night in December, 1983...

[...we toured with The Beach Boys. And all those bands were older. Like in 1967, Mike Love of The Beach Boys was 27 years old. He was nine years older than me. I thought he was a dad. In those days if you were over 30, you weren’t to be trusted.]

excerpt from Marina Del Rey's weekly Argonaut:

...we toured with The Beach Boys. And all those bands were older. Like in 1967, Mike Love of The Beach Boys was 27 years old. He was nine years older than me. I thought he was a dad. In those days if you were over 30, you weren’t to be trusted.

What did you learn from these only slightly older guys?

We learned a lot when we were with The Beach Boys. I mean, they helped us out. They knew that we were nervous to be there at all, but they were helping us out with vocals, during sound checks. But they also used to suggest, “Why don’t you guys find some nice sweaters? … You know, to wear.” Because we were wearing those East Indian clothes, and then about two years later you saw the Beach Boys, or at least Mike Love, wearing the same thing. And it was like, “Oh, okay. They finally got it.” But back then when we were touring with them, it was like, “You know you guys are all good-looking guys. You’d look really good if you were wearing some slacks and nice sweaters and stuff.”



The Venice Beach Music Fest is from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, where Windward Avenue meets the Venice Boardwalk. The Strawberry Alarm Clock goes on at 6 p.m. Tickets are free. Visit facebook.com/venicebeachmusicfest for the full lineup.


http://argonautnews.com/50-years-after-the-summer-of-love/

[he's an excellent chef]

I'd just like to say that I dined at Michael Wilson's restaurant in Culver City...he's an excellent chef.  I'd love to know if he's cooking elsewhere now.

He currently works as a private chef, Debbie

If I get a chance I'll scan the article.

Thanks much!  Haven't had a chance to view downloads yet, but I appreciate your doing this for us.  Definitely still anxious to get my hands on it, for the Neil Young article and related cd as well.

Darn it!  Just raced over to a great news stand here in Los Angeles to pick this up and the guy said, "Just got the new issue in yesterday!"  But it was the August issue...

Gonna be a long month waiting for this, (unless they get it quicker at Amoeba Records), but I'm curious if there are any photos with the article?

Still waiting for that Live Box. For a band that did so many concerts, the lack of live material released is criminal. Some of it is trickling out now on the MIC box and Sunshine Tomorrow, but still so much out there.  I would love one of the concerts from the summer of 76.

How bout the earlier 70's stuff, with Blondie & Ricky?  Carl was so tough, (no pun), on the earlier recordings for the In Concert album.  And then, in true Beach Boy fashion, they totally blew it, and released an album that didn't feel like a live concert at all.  Well, maybe didn't totally blow it, cause there are some great tracks on there, but it doesn't have the flow that anyone who was there witnessed

[Bambu]

Want to add the "I've Got A Friend" instrumental track to the list of (hopefully) likely candidates, one of the best unheard things out there. AND the supposedly magnificent rehearsals for the abortive DW POB solo tour.

One of my biggest regrets from visiting John Hanlon & Jon Stebbins in the studio for the mixing of Bambu was not having time to listen to the rehearsal tapes...  (Sadly, I do seem to recall that none of these recordings include DW vocals).  However, I was present for many of these rehearsals, (sometimes with Dennis, sometimes just wandering in to visit the band and listen by myself), and they were extraordinary!
The rehearsals took place in the back room of Brother, (in what was normally the room where the equipment was stored, and originally was rented to house the studio's return from the Netherlands), and I can't recall what format they were recorded on, (Jon, a little help here), but they were a portent of how monumental these shows were going to be!  Ah, Dennis, if only...

The Rachel Gilman review in Pop Dust says that race riots were breaking out across the country in 1967, that was 1968, when ML King was killed in April of 1968.

Summer of '67 was most definitely the start of the race riots.  Had my first Keraoucian cross country trip that summer, and ran into many riots

Makes you wonder whose centenary we'll be celebrating next...

Saw a segment on that great show CBS Sunday Morning about author Herman Wouk, still going strong and writing at age 102 - and he looked fabulous!  Made me optimistic, and my younger wife nervous as hell.

Happy birthday, Murry; Wishing you were here

[Great news if Jerry Schilling is running Brother.]

Great news if Jerry Schilling is running Brother.

Could not agree more!  Didn't take long, and look what we have already...

I imagine most people here already read Endless Summer Quarterly, however, the new issue arrived right in sync with the release of Sunshine Tomorrow.  It's all about Smiley Smile, with new interviews with both Brian & Mike.  Also has a great section on the new release, featuring interviews with Howie, Alan & Mark.  Between the excellent c.d. liner booklet and this, it's fantastic to have so much to read on breaks from listening.

http://www.esquarterly.com/home.html

[This feels like you are diving into the stained glass window.]

This feels like you are diving into the stained glass window.

I am stunned at what I am hearing.

Like a few people on this board I lived through the disappointment of SMiLE and the crushing disappointment of Smiley Smile.  Then seeing the group in late November in Westchester County and hearing Darlin' live before the record came out.  Then ; a short few months after Smiley Smile is released here comes the Wild Honey album.  Loved it from the first needle drop. I have never heard another record that sounded anything like it , and still haven't.  I was always perplexed though about the mix ; it always sounded like I was playing it in a submarine.  Until this. This stereo mix explodes with musical colors, stuff I have never heard before.

I need to indulge myself a bit.  I got thinking ; what if all these tracks on SS/WH were mixed like this ? What if there weren't two completely disparate releases , but rather a double record that included all the SS/WH stuff , as well as some of the Lei'd in Hawaii stuff; in other words The Beach Boys version of the White Album , only a year earlier.



Or some variation of that.  It would have been a monolith record , in this pristine sound , and I cannot help wonder how 1968 forward would have been.   I see and hear a very active Brian Wilson, fully engaged with the group , working on a ton of product. It's all here; great songs, great performances, spectacular vocals , new takes on older material.  If only. 

I will get my coat now

Gosh, Ray, I absolutely love that "stained glass" line! Obviously we had similar experiences with the original release of WILD HONEY, and somewhat similar experiences with "Sunshine tomorrow".

I just literally blew my mind, listening to disc 1 driving down the coast from Santa Barbara through Malibu to West L.A.  Somehow there was no traffic, and the timing was perfect, as the "Mama Says" sessions were just wrapping up as I hit traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway.  It made me want to turn right around and drive back to Santa Barbara to listen to disc 2, until I walked in to news reports of the hills of Malibu being on fire...  O.K., I won't let that spook me, I'll just slip on the old headphones and listen to it here

Dang, Ed, you've got me all excited. 

Hmmm,  I'm used to hearing that in a female voice....

Funny enough, Carl's quote leads off the first paragraph of Peter Reum & David Beard's excellent article on Smiley Smile in the latest issue of Endless Summer Quarterly

Thanks for helping to make this happen, Howie. 

Thanks for the review Ed! BTW, wasn't it actually Carl who referred to Smiley Smile as a "bunt instead of a grand slam"?

Was it?  I meant to look up the exact quote, but could have sworn it was Dennis.

In all my years as a fan of music, and most of those years being a fan/friend/aficionado of The Beach Boys, I've never written a review. What a daunting start then, to be the first to at least drop a few comments about this album that it seems like I've waited over 50 years to arrive.  Now, neither the discs nor the hype were unexpected.  Heck, tackling one of my all-time favorite albums, combined with an in-depth listen to what might have been with SMILEY, those two alone were worth the price of admission.  However, actually holding it in my hands, and just glancing at the back cover made my hands sweat and my heart race...

There couldn't have been a better way of sequencing these discs than breaking them in sections the way that they did, and for me it made for the absolute best way to listen.  I'm sure there are those that are so anxious to hear the gems that they'll listen from start to finish, or maybe jump to certain things they have waited years to hear.  But for me it was similar to appreciating a good book or a fine wine, and it needed to be slowly savored and enjoyed. So we start off with WILD HONEY STEREO, an experience as memorable as slipping the vinyl on my turntable 50 years ago(!?!?)  It truly does provide a whole new level of enjoyment, and caused my first pause, to stop and reflect on what I'd just heard and how much more depth and genius existed in these songs that I thought I knew so well.

By the time I'd recovered enough to move on to the 2nd section, WILD HONEY SESSIONS, I found myself never able to make it further than 1 or 2 tracks.  Sometimes, I was just so floored that I had to stop to absorb, while other times I had to instantly replay a track   "Can't Wait Too Long" is something I've long dreamed of...  perhaps I'd heard more of this in a studio many years ago, but for all of these years I've only had the snippets that all collectors have.  This one is truly a lost gem.  My afternoon passed in a blur just going over and over this section, then finally letting disc 1 play out with Live Unreleased Honey 67-70.

Disc 2 I really wasn't prepared for.  Everyone has always spoken about 'what might have been' had SMiLE been completed, however, I was one of the old-timers that was let down when we got Smiley Smile instead.  Heck, I lived Pet Sounds, and I'd seen Brian on Bernstein doing Surf's Up, I read the articles about what the big guy was up too, so Smiley was a major disappointment.  However, to hear what was going on at Bellagio, I so much understand why Dennis (referred) to the album as a bunt.  I can only image what he was feeling, first having SMiLE aborted, then seeing Smiley Smile released as so much less of what it could have been.

What could have been floored me from the first notes of disc 2's Smiley Smile Sessions.  I literally was plastered back in my chair will headphones blasting my ears, in what to me was an almost religious experience!  When I heard Fred Vail's voice I had to pause, reflect, and immediately listen again.  You guys won't believe the treat you're in for...

On to the previously unreleased 'live" stuff, and a true highlight for me is "Surfer Girl".  I've gotten as far as the end of this section, but have saved the last 2 sections for something special today.  Bottom line, if this is the start of the new BRI, the new Capitol, and the start of the archival releases from this period forward, we are all in for quite an experience these coming years.

[Another frustration is that years ago, somehow a full unedited clip of the Hawaii 16mm film showing mostly the concert shots mysteriously appeared on one of the standard stock footage repository sites. It had a time code strip, but it looked like a full run of the Hawaii film footage. There was also other BB related material on the same stock footage site, but the Hawaii material was key. I was still on a dialup connection where I was, and ripping it wasn't too easy. When I went back to look again, it had been removed. And it hasn't been seen since.It seemed like the raw footage edited into the AB project somehow got uploaded as stock footage to this site, then the choice material like Hawaii 67 was pulled down. I always wondered how that all came to be.]

[img width=466 height=350]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/bbh2_zpsrvhwk5k8.jpg]

In Hawaii Jim Lockert engineered, Bill Halverson and Dale Manquen assisted.

So disappointed there isn't enough of a push for the album from Capitol.
I'm dying to transfer the 16mm original footage to hi-def.
These shots came from a really poor transfer for American Band many, many years ago

That's where I ripped them from, and a fairly poor quality transfer of AB at that. It was all that was available. I went frame by frame when I was researching the Hawaii concerts and other 66-67 recording studio history looking for clues and other hidden images. In the AB film those scenes of the recording setup I clipped are blink and miss. But what was on there turned out to be what was - to my knowledge - the only available visual record of Jim Lockert actually working with Brian and the band either recording or mixing in '67. It was also some of the only known footage of Jim Lockert period, apart from various photos of him in the old UA newsletters. Very few people knew what Jim actually looked like, and there hiding in the AB doc was film of him working that custom Frank DiMedio board which Heider had shipped to Hawaii for the concerts, at that time the most state of the art mobile recording rig available in LA. Historic stuff.

I second the hope that someday this footage and the other surrounding footage like the reel of Brian at Western mixing with Chuck on 8 track will be transferred to HD. It needs to be seen. Recall that the Western footage also revealed that Brian was indeed running 8 tracks at Western with Chuck at a time when it was assumed he was only working at Columbia with 8 track tape machines.

Another frustration is that years ago, somehow a full unedited clip of the Hawaii 16mm film showing mostly the concert shots mysteriously appeared on one of the standard stock footage repository sites. It had a time code strip, but it looked like a full run of the Hawaii film footage. There was also other BB related material on the same stock footage site, but the Hawaii material was key. I was still on a dialup connection where I was, and ripping it wasn't too easy. When I went back to look again, it had been removed. And it hasn't been seen since.

It seemed like the raw footage edited into the AB project somehow got uploaded as stock footage to this site, then the choice material like Hawaii 67 was pulled down. I always wondered how that all came to be.

Man, I love your dedication and research!  Only wish the years hadn't frustrated me, and maybe then I'd have pulled together a documentary of my own by now...

As to your "frustration", I can explain.  My deal with Malcolm Leo, re: American Band, was to copy a certain number of minutes of my archival footage, but he was limited in the number of minutes he could use.  And our contract was a limited use license, that extended only to home video use.  (The contract was violated almost immediately, when he briefly released it as a feature!  But that's another story, for another day.)
Several years ago, I saw someone post a clip of footage that I own the rights to, albeit with time code.  I tracked down the source, and found that they were licensing several things, not just Beach Boys, for Malcolm.  I immediately contacted him, and he very quickly had everything taken down.  (I think he had hoped that I had disappeared forever...  guess what, I ain't going anywhere...  I'm here for the long haul).

Hope this helps alleviate your frustration, keep up the good work, and hang in there.  These things will eventually see the light of day.

[img width=466 height=350]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/bbh2_zpsrvhwk5k8.jpg]

In Hawaii Jim Lockert engineered, Bill Halverson and Dale Manquen assisted.

So disappointed there isn't enough of a push for the album from Capitol.
I'm dying to transfer the 16mm original footage to hi-def.
These shots came from a really poor transfer for American Band many, many years ago

I recently hipped Stevie Nicks to the BW "Stevie" track and she was amazed that Brian had even noticed her, let alone wrote and recorded a song about her.
She asked me about three times if I was mixing him up with Dennis. She then related a story about catching Dennis in a tree watching her through a window. . . . . . . . .

That's my boy!!!  Kind of unrelated, but one time we were driving up Malibu in his Rolls with the top down.  He turned right up a small canyon road, (probably because we couldn't get the joint rolled), and there was Katherine Ross, stark naked, watering her lawn!  Dennis shut the car off, and we both just sat there, gaping at her, until she turned the hose on us....

Yeah, Brian probably never said more than 2 words to Stevie; he just stare at her, kind of like we stared at Katherine Ross!  (Probably was picturing her naked!)