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This was definitely a good one--as Debbie noted, the author of the article clearly connected with Brian and he stayed with the interview process throughout. I don't recall reading before that he considers his favorite moment in his work with Al being "Then I Kissed Her," but considering Brian's abiding love for Phil Spector and his uncanny ability to match the right lead vocalist to individual tunes, this remark feels 100% genuine and not a "put on" (as Brian has been known to do). "Then I Kissed Her" is a great reminder of how Spector was still riding high in 1965 as the musical scene was growing and changing, and of how Brian was processing that influence on his way to creating a more intricate and intimate "wall of sound."

Yeah, me too.

There still seems to be a significant misunderstanding as to why the videos were taken down.

Did Mr. Desper appreciate being challenged on his thoughts about the vocals? No, probably not. But that's not the reason why he took the videos down.

He took the videos down because he was worried he would not be given permission to use the music anymore because of the controversy that he thought the videos were creating. It was not taken down simply because he was being challenged. Both sides in this argument seem to be missing that crucial point.

You know what? After re reading you’re right. I admit to my misunderstanding

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.

There still seems to be a significant misunderstanding as to why the videos were taken down.

Did Mr. Desper appreciate being challenged on his thoughts about the vocals? No, probably not. But that's not the reason why he took the videos down.

He took the videos down because he was worried he would not be given permission to use the music anymore because of the controversy that he thought the videos were creating. It was not taken down simply because he was being challenged. Both sides in this argument seem to be missing that crucial point.

Haven't watched much TV lately, the last two days watched sporting events .
Yesterday around noon I tuned in to a Premier League game, Liverpool vs Suddersfield. Had never heard of the latter before but decided to root for them because they wore blue striped shirts. They held Liverpool to one goal: unfortunately, they got "nil."

 today I fixed my Mother's emergency alert system (press a button and it connects you with someone who notifies emergency personnel -have had to use it numerous times these past few years). But now our landline system isn't working...

Half heartedly watched the Saints play the Ravens, assuming that once again the Ravens would win. Wrong. The Saints are living a charmed life right now, winning two games due to "gifts" by the opposition's kickers.

That's all good stuff, Craig, and I found more detail from a thread back in 2009 where you identified who did what for the SURF'S UP songs.

What follows here is rank speculation...but looking at the "leaders" for the tracks, it's clear that Mike's primary contribution is SDT--correct me if I'm wrong, but he was the impetus behind reviving "Riot in Cell Block 9" and this was his baby. "Don't Go Near the Water," while having lyrics from Mike, is Al's song, and he's the "leader" in producing it.

There are no other tracks in the list of potential songs for SURF'S UP that have any real showcase for Mike--and certainly not one that would create "currency" in the increasingly hard-edged rock environment that had developed in 1969-70. (Recall how Mike pushed to be the lead singer on "All I Want To Do," asserting his rights as the lead singer for the uptempo stuff, even though Carl or Dennis could very likely have delivered a more satisfying lead vocal--Mike's just OK.) "Don't Go Near the Water" was not THAT type of song, and it's probably one that Jack really encouraged due to its subject matter--and then it was taken into a kind of faux-Brian arrangement...not really Mike's thing.

All that might explain Mike's famous hostility and antipathy as reported by Jack at H.E.L.P. (or a place like it) which ended in the purported "I AM the Beach Boys" rant. Now, of course, we don't know if it really happened...but if it suddenly became a scramble to get all the tracks onto the new LP and WIBNTLA had come up out of nowhere (having been written and recorded after SDT, and possessing sufficient uptempo dynamism and a whole lot more in a way that could make it a more attractive track for inclusion on the LP), then we might well expect Mike to assume "attack display" and register a series of bitter rejoinders. If that incident happened, it had to be about SOMETHING--and while Mike could have possibly been pontificating about the various excesses of the Wilson brothers' lifestyles, remember that Carl and Dennis were exceptionally productive in this time frame and were showing signs of being able to cover the waterfront in the increasing absence of their big brother. If WIBNTLA was suddenly threatening SDT's existence on SURF'S UP, that could explain that entire altercation.

Mike might well have seen his role as the front man crumbling before his eyes at such a moment, and in such a context a "big snarl" doesn't seem all that far-fetched.

In the wake of that, Jack probably found himself forced to backtrack, and maybe at that moment they still weren't quite sure they were going to pull off "Surf's Up," so they briefly thought about WIBNTLA as the album closer behind "Til I Die." It's possible that Dennis' injury came about in part as a reaction to the developing news that "Surf's Up" was going to need to be on the LP--a drunken accident fueled by the anguish of being caught in the vise of egos and still being stuck with that vestigial image as the "sexy lunkhead" despite his development as a songwriter/producer. His response was withdrawal, and perhaps he turned the other cheek and put the song away in deference to the escalating need to bring "Surf's Up" back for the sake of the SMiLE legend and as a boost to sales (VDP is quoted in Nolan's essay as saying, "If they call the LP SURF'S UP we can pre-sell 150,000 units"...but exactly when did he say that to Nolan? Maybe he said it in June, sometime shortly after Dennis' injury, when the final decision about which way to go was apparently being made).

So, that way, Jack kept Mike from blowing everything up...but Dennis' injury forced them to get a drummer, and Carl and Jack pushed for the recruitment of Blondie and Ricky, which was a red flag for Bruce, who left rock behind when he gave up doing surf music; seeing the handwriting on the wall, he jumped/was pushed when he heard the direction that things were going for SO TOUGH (and that, ironically, DENNIS had taken over the "romantic" side of the BBs oeuvre!).

As I said: rank speculation. But the timing of the tracks and the timing of Dennis' injury, plus Jack's colorful recollection of Mike's rant (which seems too specific to be something that he just made up...though there are some who will still take his words with a box of salt...) paint a possible path through the interior interactions that might have been the steps involved in bringing us the SURF'S UP LP as we know it...

Hmm, I've never heard of there being a decision to be made between including "SDT" or "WIBNTLA" (one versus the other). But to answer the timeline question, it appears that "SDT" was one of the earliest of the songs included on the Surf's Up LP to be recorded, whereas "WIBNTLA" was recorded in the middle of the sessions. My sources indicate the following timeline for production and Dennis' hand injury:

TAKE A LOAD OFF YOUR FEET - Sunflower outtake, recorded January 17, 1970 - strings added January 26, 1970
LOOKIN' AT TOMORROW - recorded August 14, 1970
'TIL I DIE - recorded August 15, 1970, with possible new lead vocal added later
STUDENT DEMONSTRATION TIME - recorded October 28, 1970, final mix is dated November 3, 1970
FOURTH OF JULY - track recorded beginning April 3, 1971
DON'T GO NEAR THE WATER - recorded beginning April 3, 1971
LONG PROMISED ROAD - recorded April 3-April 4, 1971
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TREE - recorded beginning circa mid-April 1971, finished mid-June 1971
WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO LIVE AGAIN - recorded beginning May 23, 1971
FEEL FLOWS - recorded circa June 1971
DISNEY GIRLS - recorded beginning June 3, 1971
* Dennis hand injury occurred June 11, 1971 *
SURF'S UP (new track recorded at Sunset Sound, but not used) - June 18, 1971
FOURTH OF JULY - Carl's existing vocal recorded June 20, 1971 (in the absence of Dennis)
SURF'S UP - 1966 recording transferred to 16-track, and additions recorded in late June/early July 1971

 

I fully support Stephen Desper. 

We all need to step away sometimes. 

For ourselves.  And for others...

Thank you for everything, Mr. Desper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bYufmMkiA4