Fair enough laddies. DRINKS ON ME!!!!   

I was going mostly by what Ringo Starr said in an interview for the Beatles Anthology project... But his sources may have been the same as you were referring to.

In any case, Elvis rocks, so did the Beatles.

Seriously, is butt-hole even an insult anymore? I call the people I love most, that name. 

I doubt Spector would let anyone close enough to offer assistance or help.

I would like to clarify that I believe Spector was a great producer.

Anyone says songs like Be My Baby was no big deal, has a lot to learn.

Lets also remember that he produced Lennon's Imagine and Harrison's All Things Must Pass. (well, co-produced anyhoo).

Phil has been a very bitter person for years. I think lies and abuse are the only thing he has produced in many-a-year.

To quote: "Time wounds all heels."

He just told Nixon that he felt songs like Magical Mystery Tour were too drug oriented for youth to hear.

He told the president of the United States that he thought Lennon was a druggie (bear in mind this was during all of Lennon's immigration problems)... I stand by what I said.

George was back stage at the Hawaii concert and Elvis walked by him. That hardly constitutes hanging out with him.

As for recording Beatle songs, well I'm not sure Elvis was doing that in homage to them. They were great songs. He would be stupid not to record them if he had the opportunity.

 

He liked them except for their Sgt Pepper era. He met them in 1965 and then later individually and got along with them. He felt threatened at first, but once he came back in 1968, he could relax more about them.  He was creative in a different way but he also was one of the first self produced artists. He didn't get credit for this so most don't know about it.

He tried to bar George and John from entering the US in the 70's (this we know from the FBI files just released on John Lennon).

Pat her on her butt is typical Brian humor and cracks me up every time I hear Dennis sing it. Who else can get away with that song? IWTPYU is a great example of Brian Wilson humor...

The more I listen to Love You the more I love that album. Pat.. Pat.. Pat Pat Pat her on the Butt.. Butt

Priceless Brian (By the way That is Brian singing the "pay her butt" parts. Dennis and Brian trade off singing the verses but the second half of the song is entirely Brian). 

1. Strange Things Happen
2. Hot Fun In The Summertime
3. California Dreamin' (great song but the BB sounds like cheesy Karaoke)
4. Forever (The John Stamos doing his best Dennis impersonation)
5. Tears In The Morning (oh lord Kurgan how I hate this song)
6. Wind Chimes (Smiley Smile version... I hate it because they pooped all over a great song)
7. I Do Love You (Especially that crappy sesame street harmonica)
8. Full Sail (total snoozer... Even Carl sounds like he is about to go full comatose)
9. I'm So Lonely (This could have been a great Brian song... plus the production on the whole is pretty terrible)
10. Surfin' (The Still Cruisin' version)

The Sun Sessions period is my favorite for one reason alone: Blue Moon. The best vocal Elvis ever recorded IMO.

I did the same thing in my iTunes to my two-fers. Here is what I did.

"I do" was recorded on 6 November 1963, between the recording of Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down Volume 2. So I would put that on Shut Down.

"Break Away" was 1969 and released closer to 20/20
"Celebrate The News": also 20/20
"Walk On By": also 20/20

The other ones I am not sure about either. Hope this helps!

Great pics! Thanks mikeyj

Question about Leaving This Town: Is the piano back drop during the instrumental solos from a SMiLE session? It sure sounds like the piano part from Child Is The Father.

IMO SDT is terrible. It tries so hard to be an edgy 70's war track but I really hate who the message is "If you wanna go protest somesthing, Don't. You might get shot kid."

Lameness to the Nth degree. Replace ith with Dennis' 4th of July and you would have a "4". As it is, I have to give it a "3".

But man, I love "A Day In The Life Of A Tree". What a great piece and I wonder if Brian connected the lyrics to himself or it only seems that way in hindsight?

My favorite on Love You is "Love Is A Woman"... That song is hilarious! I love how it sounds like a guy giving advice on woo-ing a girl then Carl (Al?) comes in with the sarcastic "1 2 3" bit and that snide saxophone then Brian sings the "Love Is A Woman" and you can almost hear the smile on his face.

Priceless!

[Pepper]

As we say in England, "complete bollocks" -  a few minutes surfing the relevant Beatles and BB sites would have shown anyone that no-one was in the right place at the right time until Pepper was being mixed. Van Dyke, the original source for this claim, later said that the two albums were similar because they both featured sound effects.    This is what happens when you take a source at face value.

  Thanks Andrew. I think you're right: complete bullocks. 

When the Flaming Lips toured with Beck Wayne would run a video for everyone while they were setting up which was an interview he conducted with Brian fro Vh1 which was never aired. The whole time Wayne is interviewing him, Brian has this terrified look on his face like he was worried Wayne was going to punch him or something. Weirdest interview I have ever seen.

One thing I picked up on from this book that I had never read anywhere else are the allegations that the Beatles were allowed to listen to SMiLE at Armen Steiner's which only increased Brian's paranoia about the loyalty of the people around him.

I wonder if it is true.

Thirty-seven years later, Brian returns to the original three movement idea and "SMiLE" is finally completed. Trying to determine what the album might have been like in '66-'67 really depends on what week or month you're using for your reference.

I guess that was one of the reasons why SMiLE died. There was so much material for him to sift through, it was maddening to try to piece together because the possibilities were limitless - sort of like a dog chaing his own tail.

Welcome, and good luck with that composition degree. I was a theory/composition major myself, before deciding to do something a little more practical after a couple of years in it.

I know what you mean. I am applying to law school as I type this. 

I just read that Darian talked about Brian always "going with his gut" on what order things needed to be in. With this in mind, I think in 67 Brian was so stressed out about contracts with Capitol, suing his father, provifing a livelyhood for others, finishing SMiLE in time, and alot of other things that part of the problem was he couldn't go with his gut ln anything at that point. His judgment was so clouded by all these circumstances he wasn't in the right frame of mind to finish it, and he knew it.

I just pieced together the old 66-67 sessions in protools (as alot of you have done as well) using the 2004 version as a model and it is wonderful to listen to. Brian voice was so vibrant and its fun to guess who would've sang what. I can totally here In Blue Hawaii being sung by Mike (with the answering voice being done by Carl). The only thing I can't figure out is why the didn't include the Cool Cool Water bits (the "so cool, cool water - drip drip drip drip, DRINK alittle" bits... it would've sounded really nice as a counterpoint to the "I could use a drop to drink right now")...

Oh well, I guess its all these questions that make us love SMiLE sooo much. 

Great BB mystery #52b - why in the name of God did anyone think that "When Girls Get Together" was worthy of audition, never mind inclusion.

Wow! I thought "When Girls Get Together" is one of the greatest songwriting collaborations between Mike and Brian. Its so uncharacteristic of both of them and yet at the same time there is a strange SMiLE vibe to it.

I can't get enough of this song, personally. 

I think the way BWPS was finished is prolly not too far off the mark from how SMiLE would've turned out... As for the rapping pirate, Brian said in a few interviews dated from 67 that there would be spoken word bits on SMiLE. I don't know what y'all think rap is, but the spoken word bit from On A Holiday doesn't even resemble rap. It sounds like what it is: a pirate speaking a lyric.

You're right PMcC. What I rerally want for Christmas was a great production from Brian.

I really love the production on "A Day in the Life of a Tree" though (like Good Vibrations) I hate that the fade out happens so quickly. I wish we could float in that fade out for about 30 more seconds.

Most underated: 4th of July and "When Girls Get Together".