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680598 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 05:35:17 PM
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1  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dean Torrence & Friends / The Teammates: Twenty Years of Making Music 1965-1985 on: September 10, 2022, 09:16:12 PM
Neat find!! That 'Look Around You' does actually sound like something Dean could've written and I can definitely picture him singing it too. I might be imagining things but I kinda feel like I can hear him in the background vocals
2  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dean Torrence & Friends / The Teammates: Twenty Years of Making Music 1965-1985 on: September 08, 2022, 05:48:09 PM
Dean's catalog goes much deeper than most people realize.  The amazing thing is that, after his first solo comp, and now the new one that'll be released this fall, there is still more material that could potentially be used for a third compilation!

Available material that hasn't been issued on the past two comp CDs that could be on a third...


60's "Rainy Day" sessions: 'Here Comes The Rain' , 'Pocket Full Of Rainbows' , 'When Sunny Gets Blue' , 'Raindrops' , 'Rain On The Roof' , 'Cryin In The Rain' , 'Rhythm Of The Rain'

70's sessions with PapaDooRunRun : 'Help Me Rhonda' , 'Fun Fun Fun' , 'Little Deuce Coupe' , 'Surf City' , 'Drag City' , 'The Little Old Lady From Pasadena' , 'Ride The Wild Surf' , 'Pipeline' , 'Surfin USA' , 'Sidewalk Surfin' , 'WipeOut' , 'I Get Around'

78 J&D Live @ KeystoneBerkley "authorized bootleg" (never seen official release) : 'SurfCity' , 'Help Me Rhonda' , 'DeadMan's Cuve' , 'The Little Old Lady From Pasadena' , 'Little Deuce Coupe' , 'ShutDown', 'Sidewalk Surfin' , 'Do You Wanna Dance' , 'Dance Dance Dance' , 'Good Vibrations' , 'California Girls' , 'I Get Around' , 'Fun Fun Fun' , 'China Grove' , 'Brown Sugar', '409' , 'Be True To Your School'

80's 'Silver Summer' sessions w Mike Love & Bel Air Bandits: 'Be True To Your School' , 'Surfin Safari' , 'Honolulu Lulu' , 'Ride The Wild Surf' , 'Surfin USA' , 'Drag City' , 'Little Deuce Coupe' , 'Shut Down' , 'Dead Man's Curve' , 'The Little Old Lady From Pasadena' , 'I Get Around', 'Fun Fun Fun' , 'Sunny Afternoon' , 'Indian Lake' , 'California Girls' , 'Surfer Girl', 'The New Girl In School'

90's w/ Mike, Bruce & Adrian: "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", and anything else??

2000's 'live' recordings w Surf City Allstars: 'Do It Again', 'Fun, Fun, Fun' , 'Sidewalk Surfin' , 'Dance Dance Dance' , 'Drag City' , 'Surfin USA' , 'Help Me Rhonda' , 'Little Deuce Coupe' , 'Runaround Sue', 'California Girls', 'Surf City', 'I Can Hear Music', 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' , 'Good Vibrations' , 'Kokomo'

"I Get Surround" sessions w Surf City Allstars: 'I'll Surf Away' , 'Everybody's Down At The Beach' , 'More Than Yesterday', 'Discovery', 'Sloop John B', 'Over The Moon' , 'The Big Drop' , 'Surf City', 'California Sleepwalking' , 'Paulding Light' , 'The Little Old Lady From Pasadena' , 'Fastest In LA' , 'Apache'

2013 Bamboo Trading Club sessions: 'Tweet' , 'Star Of The Beach' , 'Drinkin In The Sunshine'



So yes, he re-recorded many songs over and over again, so the compilers could pick the best versions of repeated songs like 'Rhonda' or 'California Girls'. It could very to have a 65-85 album which comes out in October and also have an 85-2015 CD too. Could cover the majority of the music above.


Love that J&D's deep catalog is still getting explored and released, and that there are still plenty of fans to listen to  the new music.

We have have several exciting releases announced: Dean's new album Beatles' Revolver reissue, BBs 72/73 set --- Great time to be a fan of these iconic artists!


Keeping my fingers crossed for more archival releases from the likes of Mike Love, Bruce, Al, Phil Spector, Jan Berry, etc...

3  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dean Torrence & Friends / The Teammates: Twenty Years of Making Music 1965-1985 on: August 31, 2022, 10:24:52 AM
I agree, Rocker, regarding Louisiana Man, excited to hear this new master.


And if you couldn't tell by my profile pic--- Man, oh man, am I excited !!!!

This is just what Dean (and J&D in the bigger picture) needs! It's what I've been saying needs to happen to David B, Dean himself, members of his band, etc ... So so happy the day has come where my fantasy big hope release is announced.

I'm such a huge Dean Torrence /J&D fan that this is just as exciting to me as Feel Flows. In the way that Sunshine Tom. & FF massively helped legitimize as an incredible creative force in their late60's-early 70's 'Prog Rock/Roots/LoFi era, I feel like this new "Teammates" package will help solidify Dean Torrence's legacy as a prolific solo artist/producer in his own right, a hell of singer (when he's trying and not trolling (rofl) ) and as all around unique, humorous, and visionary artist.

Dean was a genius and a visionary with Music Packaging & Graphics. Even from the early J&D days, he'd spot cool California locations, and have a long list of ideas and requests, to which Liberty gave in, as far as only what made economic sense at the time. That's why in an era of slapped together album covers, with cartoons of the band's faces, or them in ridiculous poses with adjectives or statements sprinkled all over the cover in a tacky way, J&D's 58-66 album covers shine so bright. The covers for We Go Together single (1960), J&D Take Linda Surfin (63, also my alltime fav album cover) Drag City LP (63), and Popsicle (66) all come to mind as super fresh and eye catching covers.  And of course, Dean would have his lengthy tenure (still going strong today) with his own graphics business, winning countless awards for his designs, including Grammys.

Which leads me to talk about the way this album is both packaged and presented. Instead of the marketing being centered around Dean being a solo artist, it seems he's taken a different route and I think I know why. Dean has said in interviews and onstage for years, and even to me personally, that he doesn't love being the frontman/star of the show. That wasn't really his intention as far back as The Barons days, and even in their hit years was satisfied being Robin to Jan's Batman. In concert, he doesn't like to sing all leads, he'd rather sing in the harmony stack where he's needed, or in his preference, to sing his original parts in the stack. He's never taken a guitar solo, just strums his surf rhythm guitar, sometimes audible, sometimes not even plugged in, depending on how silly he feels (sometimes he even plays a toy guitar) Point is--- he likes being a teammate (no pun intended) much more than a front man.

And since we know he's in charge of the packaging and promotion,  it would make perfect sense for it to emphasize the collaborative nature of his works, highlighting the allstar super-group lineup including but not limited to (Jan Berry, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Brian Wilson, Gary Zekley, VDP, The Honeys, Leon Russell, Terry Melcher, Flo & Eddie, John Cowsill, PapaDooRunRun, Adrian Baker, Harry Nilsson, The Beach Boys, Daryl Dragon, Jeff Foskett... and even Dr Landy , among many other celebrity and BBs/J&D touring legend cameos)

So excited for this album to come out!! Thank you David Beard & all the folks on Dean's team and at Omnivore. These new masters sound phenomenal (better than what we've been getting from the BBs camp TBH) and I couldn't be more thrilled that this is coming out. Can't wait to buy it, listen to it, and read the liners!

4  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Al Jardine - 2022-2023 Tour Thread (Plus Archived 2018-2021) on: August 01, 2022, 05:41:40 AM
I hope Al gets better. He seems to live very healthily so I'm expecting a recovery Smiley


That show without him and the girls did go ahead after all. And from videos and reports, it still seems like it was a great time overall. There are plenty of BB/J&D tribute bands made up of current/past touring members, with this one being essentially a Cal Saga show, and all of those groups are outta sight. Looks like Matthew and Randell were leaders in making the show go on. Kudos to all of those musicians: the music sounded great and they made the best of a difficult situation.
5  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: 60th Anniversary Tour on: August 01, 2022, 05:40:41 AM
The Beach Boys as a touring band seem to be charging along on the 60th anniversary tour, sounding just as great as ever. In my opinion, Mike surprisingly sounds the best he has since C50 or '17 as of late. 2020 and 21 were kinda shaky with Mike's vocals, but this year he once again sounds very strong and on pitch again. Ike is the best 'BW part' singer the band has ever had since BW himself--- with Cowsill and Totten being the best guitarist and drummer since Carl and Dennis left us. Totten and Cowsill both recreate Carl and Dennis' signature parts perfectly, but also have their spirit and energy that was severely lacking with other instrumentalists in the past. In my humble opinion, Christian sounds so much like Carl at some moments it's freaky. He has his own tone, and for most of the show he just sounds like Christian, but there are always moments, whether they be whole songs, or simply syllables, where he channels Carl so well, I'd swear Carl is singing through him. It's kinda a crazy spiritual type of thing to me it's wild. Timmy B is so rock solid on those keys, I don't think I've ever heard him screw up, and while I do miss Meros, he fills his spot as well as anyone could. Randy's playing adds so much--- the sax, harmonica, flute, percussion etc he adds are all elements that were crucial on those respective songs, and his sax solos are outta sight!!!! Keith's bass playing is really solid and you can see he's having a blast onstage, his enthusiasm is contagious.

Love seeing America's Band, The Beach Boys, celebrating 60 years on a great tour, spanning multiple countries, being led by Mike&Bruce in such great form, with such an excellent group of musicians- honestly, one of the best lineups of the band EVER in my opinion. My favorite lineup since the last time the core 6 were together (Knebworth era) and then 5 surviving members w C50.

All things considered, at the end of the day, this is the perfect way to celebrate the 60th to me. The band still gets to travel the world, playing the best music ever made, with the guy who sang & co-wrote the majority of the material, and the 'new guy' who's been around since 65.  It allows Brian to do his own thing, and as we learn now, cancel all future shows, but still receive income from the BBs' shows. The production is now more elaborate and worthy of the legendary band  w/ the video screens, lighting effects, and Totten's precise MusicalDirecting. As far as the world of TheBeachBoys on tour, they're 'still crusin' alright, and sounding just as great as ever.
6  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian Wilson - 2022 Tour Thread (Plus Archived 2021) on: August 01, 2022, 05:38:38 AM
This is a complicated issue w/ many facets but here's my take , and I say this all as a diehard BW/BB fan, i love em like crazy.

I saw BW band in Illinois near the end of the tour. This is my 5th BW show and I've seen many videos from recently, so I went in knowing what to expect. A mostly silent BW looking uncomfortable and hardly participating. That description could've been applied in '76 and '82, or even as recent as the final shows before break during the pandemic. But this time something was different. His visible dismay and audible pain when singing made his QueenMary81 performance seem a hell of a lot less jarring in comparison.

We know about BW's mental and physical ailments which have bothered him since the 60's. But whether it's the back pain, mental issues, or simply aging, (probably a combo of the 3) *something* is taking a major toll on his well being- it's obvious. I sat very close to the stage, and saw him shifting in his chair just like I do w my severe chronic backpain. He was typically frowning and 100% unresponsive to his band's stage banter whether they were asking him questions or instructing him to sing the following song or section.

Something we've seen increase over the last few years, but drastically during this tour is BW not finishing lines or not singing complete sections he normally easily tackles. For reference (from memory) :

Cal Girls: Sang lead well, but didn't finish some of the lines and dropped many words, only hitting crucial ones
Do It Again: Brian sings first line or two, but Al comes to the rescue when he drops out completely
IGA / LDC : Al/Matt/Gary all filling in for where BW would've sang (tho, Al has been doing the latter for a few years now)
Surfer Girl: BW sings "We could ride the surf together" but none of the rest of the bridge, and no one filled in leaving just the harmonies and instruments.
DWB/Blondie songs: No vocal BW participation, played a little piano during SOS. Instructed by Blondie sing LPR bridge but only sang the first line with others filling in
WIBN/Sloop: No participation from BW. WIBN B section that he'd have normally sung was done by Al. Al encouraged BW to sing harmony during Sloop but he didn't
GOK: Brian sung the verses, dropping the octave on high notes as he's been doing, and for the most part sung well and in pitch
Darlin: No participation from BW
Be My Baby: He starts the lines and sounds really sweet, but doesn't seem to have the performance strength to finish them. still a highlight for sure
ICHM: No BW participation
Heroes & Villians: Brian sings verses and sounds surprisingly at his best of the whole show.
GV/Rhonda/USA/FFF: Brian manages a few words during GV verses but no other participation through the end of the show

I don't think his lack of participation has anything to do with playing hits or "Mike setlists" because for as long as BW's been touring, they've sprinkled in all of the deep cuts, but managed to always include these core hits that people expect to hear. They've always included the surf hits and PS anthems, These recent sets are just those sets with the deep cuts shaved off. And LPR, ICHM, and H&V I'd still consider deep cut territory.

With all this said, Brian's pitch is still really good when he does sing. And his voice does sound remarkably sweet still. When he sung, my dad would turn to me and say "still the same voice!" which is in essence true. He's older and it's evolved, but it still that sweetness that was present in every era, despite all of the changes his voice would go through. He still has that BW California kinda sweetness to his voice. It sounds very pained, but still produces a great beauty.

Onto the others.

Al was fabulous. He was MCing for much of the show, mixing up his words like usual. It adds charm and unintended humor to the show. High notes seem slightly harder for him (Rhonda is now played in C instead of Db) , but in general his voice still sounds nearly identical to his 60's voice. And there have been times when he was sick since the 60's where he got real raspy on high notes, and now knowing what we know about his C-19 status he could've been sick already. But his performance was TOP NOTCH. He was enjoying himself, singing great harmonies, and playing guitar very well. His guitar playing gets knocked a lot- I think it largely depends on the night, because on this night his amp was turned up nice and clear, and his playing especially stuck out when he played his Jag- even playing lead on SOS (during song- Blondie played solos during long interludes) . Al's guitar playing was really great. I think some nights his hands may be sore, or his mind might be on something else, but in general, when he's 'in the mode' he's an excellent guitarist and was showing it off.

Blondie was a lot of fun too. His solos felt a little long, almost to the point where several other BB/BW songs could've been played in place of his several minute solos, but I think it gives Blondie a chance to show off his ability and showmanship, and give BW, and likely even Al at this point, some time to recuperate. Blondie's showmanship is outta sight, and he sounded just as great as ever. His vocals were really nice on his three songs, and he was onstage for most of the show compared to being a guest on only a few songs in the beginning  of his tenure w BW band. His presence, singing, guitar playing, and honestly, super outta sight tambourine playing adds a lot of energy and "BeachBoy" to the show.

The rest of the band was absolutely incredible as always. They're simply masters at what they do .

Overall, like all of the BW/BB shows I've seen, it was a spiritual, dare I say religious experience. The music is the best ever made, and it is delivered with so much passion. Being at these shows is like a slice of heaven. To hear this amazing music live is such a treat and I cherish every time I'm able to . I'm so so so  thankful for Brian, Blondie, Al, the band, and crew for these amazing shows. It's a blessing in my life to be able to see these shows- BW, M&B, Dean, TouringMember tribute bands- they're all so special . It brings me an infinite amount of joy.


As for the recent cancellations, and BW's state during this past tour--- I really think this might be it fellas. I'm no doctor, but his health seems to be in decline. But this is BW after all, and there has been doubt cast (publically among fans and in his personal life) on his ability to tour and state of health in general since 1964. He's been proving naysayers wrong for nearly 60
7  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Feel Flows Album on: May 30, 2022, 11:20:06 AM
The great cleaned up mix, and official debut, of (4/4) Big Sur.

Absolutely magical Cool
8  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl's relationship with Brian before his death on: May 04, 2022, 09:08:09 AM
Brian and Carl watching the band perform without them on the SuperBowl has always been framed in a negative light, but I wonder if they took it in stride, and perhaps were honored by the "celebration". It was obvious Carl couldn't perform by that stage, and Brian wasn't playing with the band at this point, so it's not like they would've been there anyways. I seem to recall the sentiment of "embarrassment" being attached to the scenario of them watching the show, but I can't help but wonder if seeing not only Mike and Bruce, but their old buddies Glen Campbell, Dean Torrence, and David Marks playing what can ultimately be considered a tribute to BW's songwriting. He wrote or co-wrote every song they played that day. Knowing that Brian likely wouldn't have been interested in joining along, and that Carl physically couldn't, I wonder if they watched the performance, and reflected on all the success they had together.

Of course the relationship had become strained, like many brotherhoods do, but I like to imagine this last visit was positive, and that with the positive kinda guy that Carl was, that he wouldn't have gotten hung up on the SuperBowl show, and would've been proud of his friends & family up there playing their music for countless people.

Of course this is all speculatory and 'what if' kinda things. I have no idea what the encounter was like, I wasn't there. But knowing that Carl was so positive and that the brothers did love eachother so much, I like to picture their final time spent together as being filled with love.
9  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: So Tough/ Holland (Box?) Set on: May 04, 2022, 08:59:07 AM
I too really hope we finally get an official release of the BBs playing 'Jumpin Jack Flash'   Cool Cool Cool Cool

I also hope/predict that The Flame's two albums recorded around this time might get included in this boxset, given the involvement from Carl and Desper. It wouldn't even shock me if it's released as "The Beach Boys" like how Dont Worry Bill and Its A New Day eventually were released.


I love this era and I'm so excited for the new box set !!
10  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Sounds of Summer 6LP Announced on: May 04, 2022, 08:55:12 AM
I'm so excited for this new version of Sounds of Summer.

I was very impressed with the new mix of GV. I'll always prefer the mono version (#BACKTOMONO !!!) but it's fun to compare, or listen to different versions to mix it up.

The original Sounds of Summer might be my favorite album ever (if comps count). I've listened to it almost every day for years. It's a perfect track listing of songs with great quality.

If I made the tracklisting, I would've certainly included the title tracks from SIP and Still Cruisin to respect that era, and probably Long Tall Texan, WOTS, or Caroline No from S&S. Also of course stuff from TWGMTR. It is an inaccurate representation of their career to end at 1988. Just for the legacy of all these decades of music making, I would've included songs from the 90's and 2012.

However, I don't wanna sound like I'm bitching or complaining, because at the end of the day, I'm ecstatic by the songs chosen for the new release. An amazing combination of hits and fan favorites. Of course we all have a few that we wish were there, but the fact that this set includes great stuff like Devoted To You, Farmer's Daughter, Where I Belong, Disney Girls, etc just has me over the moon with excitement.

I've cherished the original SOS since I was a little boy when my grandma gave me the original CD, with that great orange packaging. Now to be an adult, and to have had the album be a daily presence in my life all the way through, it feels very fitting to be getting a new updated version with as much care and promo as this one is getting.
11  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Anybody went to a Beach Boys (Mike and Bruce) concert recently? Your opinion? on: April 03, 2022, 10:58:20 AM
Great way of summing things up Lonely Summer.

The current touring BBs band is outta sight. The whole band is very passionate about presenting the music with as much accuracy and energy as possible.

Mike is still the iconic frontman he's always been who delivers the majority of the lead vocals with the same enthusiasm and vigor as he did in the 60's.

Totten is the best Musical Director in the business. He runs a  tight ship. His guitar playing is incredible as well.  John Cowsill is the best live drummer the band has ever had. Cowsill combines the energy of Dennis' playing with the precision of Hal Blaine's. Cowsill is also a hell of a singer providing some great leads on songs like Darlin.

I also think Brian "Ike" Eichenberger is also the best 'falsetto' because like 60's Brian&Al he can actually hit most of those notes in a high belt from the chest, not solely falsetto like Adrian and Matt... Ike has a power in his voice that reminds me SO MUCH of young BW.

Mike's son Christian provides a solid second rhythm guitar (in addition to Ike's rhythm gtr) and sings Carl's vocal parts- most of his leads and harmony parts. Some disagree,  but I think Christian's 'Wilson Genes' are definetely on display when he sings songs like God Only Knows (and It's About Time this past summer!) as he can really, really sound like Carl. His voice is a little thinner than 80's-90's Carl, but can sound a lot like Carl's more youthful 60's/70's voice before the smoking really affected it.

Bruce also adds so much authenticity to the show. Aside from his mere presence adding authenticity, it's his singing that really elevates the group from sounding like Mike & hired guns to actually really sounding like The Beach Boys!! Hearing Bruce's co-leads on the codas of Cal Girls, God Only Knows, hearing him in the GV blend, etc  just adds so much authenticity to the sound. He and Mike were so key to the blend that their voices blending with the touring guys can really pull off a convincing BBs sound, where you can close your eyes and swear you're hearing the record.

The shows are a blast! You can always expect the hits, but at all the shows I've been to, at least a few deeper cuts are thrown in for good measure. I'll be attending every show they play in my neck of the woods for as long as they're 'still cruisin' 
12  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: 60th Anniversary Tour on: March 15, 2022, 05:14:04 PM
Leave it to Al to spill the beans as always.  LOL   very excited!
13  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: LoCash Wrote + Recorded New Song ‘Beach Boys’ With the Actual Beach Boys on: March 13, 2022, 09:08:49 AM
I'm in the camp of those who enjoy the song. It's fun, what can i say? I'm not very well informed in the Country music genre, but I can dig the harmonies. Seeing the Behind The Scenes video made me enjoy the song even more, because clearly the Locash guys were honored to be in the prescience of The BBs. After years of not being credited for the song, it also made me smile for Mike to receive recognition  for writing the lyrics of California Girls.

The song is made in good fun.

I'll be excited about any new music from Mike, Bruce, and the rest of the band members for as long as we get it. We take for granted how cool it is that they're still recording in their 80's!
14  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: ?? Mike Love saying Sounds of Summer 3-cd set is coming on: January 29, 2022, 08:33:52 AM
While my mind too initially went straight to the 'Platinum Collection' UK collection, I personally doubt that this new "box set deal", as Mike said, will be a straight up re-release of 'Platinum'.

I think we can expect updated mixes/masters, if not for everything, than for at least some of the tracks. Off the top of my head, I could imagine the new stereo mixes of Wild Honey, Darlin, and Do It Again replacing their Mono originals. I would be very surprised if Fun Fun Fun w Status Quo or Wipe Out made the cut. (The latter I would argue for, being a huge hit in their later phase of their career) I also think TWGMTR era material will be included- if I had to guess maybe the title track and Isn't It Time. We'd definitely be spoiled to see something unreleased included, but I wouldn't get my hopes up for that.

Sounds Of Summer is one of the best comps for The BBs ever, so I'm looking forward to the repackage. I look forward to any new BBs release, there's always something to be found and enjoyed, alternate or new mixes are always fun to dive into.
15  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carol Kaye is at it again! on: January 29, 2022, 08:18:34 AM
I have a hypothesis as to why Carol, and some other WC members, remember playing on BBs songs that they didn't.

And that's because they played on COUNTLESS BB covers, many of which were regional or national hits...

Let's begin with Bruce Johnston's (who would soon be a BB producing BB records) early productions for the 'Hot Doggers' album which included versions of Surfin', Surfin' Safari, and Surfin' USA. Those backing tracks were all played 100% by the Boys on their recordings (with Frank Devito enhancing drums on USA) .   But it was the WC, with Carol, who played on those tracks back in '63. Bruce would also record 409, ShutDown, Hawaii and LDC with Bruce&Terry and The Rip Chords--- again all songs played by the Boys on their records, but played by the WC on these versions.

Then you also have Jan Berry. crafting many arrangements of BBs songs, that the Boys originally played on. During the timeframe of 1962-1964, and even still through 1966 up until his automobile accident, Jan was a mentor to Brian. By the time Brian was just getting started, Jan had been in the biz for years, producing over 10 regional hits and 2 Gold records. Brian was constantly in the studio for Jan's sessions soaking up everything he could, and Jan's influence shows in Brian's masterworks of the mid 60's. I bring this up only to say that it's likely Brian could have been, or even played on, any of these J&D sessions, sometimes undocumented, to avoid label issues.... Anyway,   While the BBs themselves provided the backing on J&D's Surfin' and Surfin' Safari cuts, the WC provided the backing tracks on Jan Berry's arrangements of Little Deuce Coupe (Which Brian was allegedly in the studio for), Little Honda, I Get Around and Sidewalk Surfin (CatchAWave), all of which were songs the Boys played (with added WC percussion, Dano, and saxes on IGA)

Finally you have Gary Usher producing many BBs covers with his various acts, all using the WC, Little Honda (Superstocks and Hondells), Dance Dance Dance (Surfaris) [Another mostly BB played track, with additional percussion and guitars from WC], Little Deuce Coupe (Surfaris), and Don't Hurt My Little Sister (again a BB played song) with the Surfaris.



While it's very annoying to us BB diehards for Carol to wrongly claim to play on so many BBs cuts, it can make a little more sense when you remember she played on all those cover versions by people in The BBs orbit like Bruce, Jan Berry, and Gary Usher.

I say this not necessarily as a defense, because while I having nothing but respect for Carol's musical work, she was always extremely rude to me in online conversation, either chewing me out or censoring my comments, and her dubious claims about Surfin USA, Motown, Hal Blaine, etc get very old. It seems like everyone from the WC really had fond memories of those years, feeling a sense of being a team, hell even a family! It seems like most of them felt that way except for Carol. I can recall many interviews of Hal and Glen talking about those days being the best of their lives with a certain boyish glow when describing the era.  Typically, Carol has a jaded venomous tone when discussing the era and her 'peers'. She frequently detracts from the work of others, to boost herself up. Hal and Glen never needed to do that. James Jamerson, Hal Blaine, Jan Berry, the BBs other than Brian, even The Beatles, come to mind as people Carol has talked down upon or not given due credit to. Despite their jazz training or preferences, most of the WC guys like Hal embraced what they did and felt like peers with the artists and producers who made these iconic classics. Carol talks like she was the saving grace of those knuckleheads' pitiful recordings. It's sad.
16  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Beatles' Get Back documentary (BB content) on: November 27, 2021, 11:54:20 AM
Mike has to be absolutely thrilled that he's featured!! And as a BBs fan I think that's awesome. Cool

17  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on: November 24, 2021, 09:09:24 AM
It seems like *this* might as well be the fabled rock and roll album. Lotta good rockin' tunes!
18  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Stars & Stripes reappraisal? on: August 23, 2021, 10:10:12 AM
I'm in the camp that can appreciate both versions of Everything I Need.

- The original Brian produced version has that great 60's "wall of sound" type of feel which is spectacular. Great echo-filled Hal Blaine drum hits.

- I also dig the Thomas reworking because of it grooves a little better compared to what others described as Brian's 'plodding' version.

Both are very nice productions. Brian's is a tribute to his 60's sound and collaborators, and Thomas' is a phenomenal few minutes of A/C pop.

I don't mind Joe Thomas and his work with BW as much as many diehard fans do.

Brian has almost always seemed to need/want a partner to achieve his goals and stay productive. Whether it was the hit years with Mike Love, the experimental era with Tony Asher & VDP's avant-garde co-writes, Brian's time as a writer for Jan Berry, the Gary Usher sessions, TLOS with Scott, '04 SMiLE with Darian,  the FF era with Carl facilitating, etc etc... That's not to say Brian can't be incredible on his own (Much of Love You for example), he just isn't as productive and doesn't seem to get the same enjoyment out of working alone. I feel the same way! I'm a producer and I like to have a co-producer if it's a project I really care about --- and I don't think that diminishes my (or anyone's) skills to prefer to work with others --- it's just that, fundamentally, for many, including myself and I assume BW, regular social interaction can be incredibly difficult, and a much more anxiety-free, relaxing, and healthy way of having social interaction is in the producer's chair, than in a party or social event. I can only speak for myself and we can take whatever we can from it, but I feel very anxious and doubtful in regular conversations, but in the producer's chair I'm self assured and can make real relationships with people. I think it's the same for Brian. That's a big source of his connections with people. With his cousins, his brothers, and many more people.

In many years of collaboration, you get to the point where you can finish eachother's musical sentences. I have co-writers/co-producers that can start or  finish tracks of mine, and they know how to make it sound like me. You learn eachother's musical motifs and accents. And that's not to say you completely sacrifice your own sensibilities. We can all agree that Thomas hasn't sacrificed his A/c sensibilities on Brian's music. Yet, it still has Brian's soul in the music, and there are so many unmistakable BW moments in the arrangements and songs. You give and take. We don't know what chord progressions Thomas wrote and which Brian wrote. For all we know, the closing tracks of TWGMTR  which we all adore could've been primarily musically composed by Joe Thomas. 99% of us here weren't in the room when Brian and Joe wrote these songs so we'd never know.

But does it f*cking matter?? No!!!

If Brian likes the music he's making. Perfect. No more needs to be said. And he's fulfilling his dreams by doing so. If he genuinely didn't want these records out, they wouldn't be. With possibly the exception of Imagination, BW has always stood by everything he's released and there's been nothing to indicate in recent years that this isn't the kind of music he wants to be making. At some point, people will have to look back and reflect/accept that that slick sound *IS* Brian's sound of the 2000's. Every record he's put out, with the exception of GIOMH, has a distinct perfection and slickness. They all, yes even SMiLE, use pitch correction to varying degrees (except GIOMH, which for the love of god could've used a little bit LOL).  People want to point the finger here and there to blame as for why Brian's music has sounded the way it has? Well, from a broad lens, most of the solo albums sound very similar and all of the material pretty much lives in the same sonic universe. As the BB music from each era kind of does. To an uninformed listener the TLOS, Gerswish album, Disney album, TWGMTR, and NPP would all sound very similar. Ok, under a microscopic lens, the Thomas-less albums might sound a bit more dynamic and have more quirkiness. But if you take a step back, and analyze his solo career overall, each album has sounded very slick and clean, and there's in many instances another collaborater behind some of the music. Take Mertens' contributions to Gershwin and Disney. He did a lot of the arranging, while Brian was producer. A Jack Nitzche to Phil Spector kinda relationship. Does the fact that Nitzche arranged most of the Philles hits make Spector less brilliant? No. They had a collaboration where Nitzche knew how to express through notes what Spector was feeling. I think there's definitely a similar relationship with Wilson and Thomas. I think if that wasn't the case, Brian wouldn't have continued to work with him through the years.
19  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Stars & Stripes reappraisal? on: August 21, 2021, 08:27:04 PM
I dig the album for what it is. I think it has some of the last truly great group harmonies, and some of the last groundbreaking harmonic arrangements by Brian --- even if they're modeled after the original recordings, they're tweaked and updated, sometimes to fit the different style or key. Some great, great vocal arranging on Brian's part and it totally gets overlooked.

I enjoy the album because I personally feel Brian's presence is felt through some of the instrumental and vocal quirks. Sure, it was also a Joe Thomas production, but there are some unique musical moments and motifs that are pure BW.

Even with the Country & Western flare, I definitely see this as the first chapter in a series of Wilson-Thomas AC tinged efforts.

S&S, Imagination, TWGMTR, C50 Live CD, NPP & BW & Friends all live in the same sonic universe to me. Their tracks could be shuffled around onto different albums and it wouldn't be that noticeable. (Largely because most of the material Imagination, NPP & TWGMTR is pulled from the same pool.) They all have a recognizable slickness and, to put it politely, 'mellow' vibe. S&S is definitely the least digital/electronically altered sounding album of the bunch. I think it actually has a nice warmth and atmosphere.

I have to admit that Country isn't really a genre I'm all that familiar with--- I don't listen to songs by any of the artists featured. I enjoy Country when I'm visiting the American South and it's inescapable and does create a bit of a vibe, but other than that I never really listen to it.

So I approach S&S strictly as a BB fan and fan of BW productions. And looking at it that way, looking at the Boys' performances and Brian's studio work, I can dig it a lot.

I didn't appreciate the album *at all* and never listened to it in full until I saw the S&S movie. Seeing the joy and emotion that went into the album made me see something must be there. Seeing Brian's reaction to the In My Room performance was powerful- I'll never forget it. I know there was apparently some behind the scenes drama related to the wives, production control, etc... And yes, I know documentaries of this kind are never 100% true to life, but the movie shows the band functioning as a true unit for the last time until C50, and I'd say they were a more cohesive democratic unit here, and kinda became Brian's instruments again (a la 1965) with C50. 

It's a fun album. These songs and the Boys harmonies are SOOO good that it would be hard to ruin the material. I think it's a fun twist that was never meant to be taken super seriously as some kind of seminal artistic statement--- it was just a band with enough hits to fill multiple volumes of CDs experimenting with their beloved catalog, in an inspired, 'modern' (for the times) kinda way. I think a genuine BB fan could find lots of moment to enjoy on S&S. Is it Sunflower or Today!? No. It's a unique nostalgia soaked reflection on their catalog, and also a great showcase for Country staples & rising stars, some of Nashville's greatest session musicians, some of Carl Wilson's last vocals (outta sight, you can hear him clear as day) , and also a great spotlight for Matthew Jardine--- his contributions are overlooked when talking about this album.


Yeah, the Joe Thomas bag of material may not be *exactly* the kind of music we were hoping for from Brian & the Boys, but I think there's a certain maturity or acceptance that comes in realizing that like him or not, Thomas is a good facilitator and without a doubt helps Brian deliver the goods. Not everyone will agree with me, but I honestly think history will look fondly upon the Wilson-Thomas era, quirks and all, because it gave us so much more music to enjoy from Brian and The Boys, and I treasure every album I listed, even if they aren't perfect. I wouldn't be at all upset if they made a S&S vol 2 (that would never happen) or hypothetically found a lot more tapes from the era to release. I'm a sucker for BB material , I can dig it all. Give me S&S, KTSA, SIP, and C50 Live and I'd still be a happy camper. Maybe I'm just that much of a fan and completely down the rabbit hole  LOL LOL LOL
20  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Bruce falsettos on: August 17, 2021, 04:53:19 AM
Saw Bruce with the band three times this summer. He always sings the falsetto coda of Fun Fun Fun, and when he sang Disney Girls recently, he did some falsetto towards the end.
21  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Beach Boys 2021 Feel Flows World Tour Thread on: July 19, 2021, 07:32:38 AM
HOLY sh*t! Here is ITS ABOUT TIME!! How cool!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtkF6X2fV2U
22  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Beach Boys 2021 Feel Flows World Tour Thread on: July 19, 2021, 07:31:24 AM
Very exciting news!!!

New setlists have included HCTN, Feel Flows, and Add Some Music!!!!!! Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool

Cant wait to see videos and hear the songs in person
23  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Beach Boys (Mike/Bruce) appearing on CNN 4th of July special on: July 06, 2021, 11:58:05 AM
I agree that Mike sounded a little rough. It did almost sound like he sang almost the entirety of Cal Girls a half step lower than the group. I thought the rest of the band sounded pretty damn good. I  like raspy Bruce!  LOL LOL Cheesy

I thought Ike sounded fine , Cowsill's drums, Randy's sax, Keith's bass, and especially  Tottens guitar sounded great as always. The mix truly did them no justice. I agree that the mixing really did none of the classic/oldies acts any favors. What was coming out of the broadcast Sounded like a very shoddy mix.

The clip from Stamos' instagram sounded fucking incredible.

I think we may have reached a point where Mike is having a similar vocal situation as Brian. Al and Bruce still sound terrific. Bruce sounded like a slightly raspier version of his 65 self on Cal Girls, GOK, and Sloop. His vocals always blow me away. He's been having a bit of rasp on and off since he rejoined the group, so it didnt phase me.

I will still go and support every single BB related event, be it the BBs band, Brian's band, or any other solo endeavors. Its amazing and inspiring to see the core members still at it and doing what they love. 
24  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Does Mike still love Brian? on: June 16, 2021, 08:26:58 AM
I too have been searching for this!! It was one of the best interviews in years. It was an Australian program I think.
25  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: New Stereo mix of \ on: June 03, 2021, 02:37:33 PM
Wow! Stereo processing and digital extraction have come so far, even in the last few years! Oftentimes, these stereo remixes can sound 'off' and nauseating, but they did a fabulous job with this one, it sounds outta sight !!
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