Brian (and Bruce!) interviewed on tonight's Front Row

[Rocker]

It's interesting to note that that guy says the other boys were just singers, yet on those session snippets you can clearly hear Carl co-leading the group in the studio. For example, he's the one who tells the guys how to get the right sound on "Prayer" ("sing aah")

[runnersdialzero]

Who was that guy? Does he know nothing about this band? Legit, what a totally obnoxious c***.

[Aaron Sunchymes]

Was interesting to listen to this. Had no idea that Brian cut a version of Surfs Up on the upright piano during the Wild Honey Sessions. As regards to Bruce I always get the impression that he was blown away by Smile and I think that is supported by the fact that he sang on The Saggitarius record which is in Smile territory in terms of approach and production.

[monicker]

My first exposure of Smile was via a Paul Gambaccini-hosted Radio 1 documentary about The Beach Boys in (I think) 1980. He played Surf's Up on that show too. That's where it all changed for me. Thus Gambo's alright by me. He sometimes comes across as a little too fact-oriented & not enough emotion-oriented (as someone who heard his eulogy at John Peel's funeral I can attest to this), but y'know "self-proclaimed professor of pop" is a bit harsh. He really knows his stuff.

Is that why he made so many erroneous statements with such self-assurance?

[Wirestone]

I think Bruce comes across accurately -- whether that's good or bad is up to you.

He loves the music, he wonders if it was right for the group, as a fellow songwriter-producer he wishes BW could have continued to progress artistically. He deplores drugs' influence on Brian -- and regardless of whether they defined BW's life in the late 60s, they were certainly devastating enough to him in the 70s and 80s. So it's a complex subject, and he has complex reaction that can't simply be reflected as support or disdain.

And to varying degrees, I think that's how the rest of the group felt as well. The album was a trauma, a wound, that also had some of BW's (and the group's) most transcendent moments. How can you talk about that, especially if you were there, logically? Even Brian doesn't make much sense -- he says the work is a masterpiece, and he can't understand how he did it, but he also says it was too advanced and that he had to shelve it. He paints the shelving of the work as inevitable, yet he acknowledges that it was his decision alone.

Something I've come to realize when dealing with traumatic (or simply life-changing) events is that sometimes multiple things have to be true to make real sense of the situation. We want simple answers, but they can't convey everything -- or even most things. Brian was (and is) in control of many things in his life, both personally and creatively. Yet he's also powerless. He's mentally ill, yet he's clear-headed and sane. He's influenced by people around him, sometimes unduly, yet the influence he wields can make or break people's careers. Smile was an album of 12, fully composed songs, yet it was a sprawling epic of tiny fragments.

Only by embracing all of these sides -- and acknowledging the truth in all of them -- can we begin to get our heads around the history of "Smile." Simple explanations have created more problems than they've solved.

[Nicko1234]

Is that why he made so many erroneous statements with such self-assurance?

How many did he really make?

[Aaron Sunchymes]

Wirestone I think that is a pretty good assesment of Bruce on this subject

[Wirestone]

How many did he really make?

Well, the drugs in the studio thing seemed a bit dubious to me. Hasn't it been suggested that the "feelin' the acid yet" line was simply a joke?

I think what most people are reacting to is the "one genius" business, which is simply a personal opinion.

[Ebb and Flow]

He also regards the rest of the group as "just singers", which even in the context of 1966/67 wasn't true.

[Nicko1234]

An opinion isn't an erroneous statement though.

And I think it's indisputable to say that Brian was the one genius. Mike was obviously more than a singer (but not on this material) and Carl would have had some contribution to make but it's hard to have too many arguments with that comment.

The drug issue is blatant as well.

[runnersdialzero]

Wait, Bruce was the one who said the "just singers" thing??? Didn't sound like him.

[Ebb and Flow]

Wait, Bruce was the one who said the "just singers" thing??? Didn't sound like him.

No, I was referring to Gambaccini.

[runnersdialzero]

Ah sh*t. I messed up, misread.

What a total sh*t thing to say, seriously.

[Cam Mott]

Van Dyke agreed to can it? BWPS was from memory? Mike was disgusted? He must not mean these the way we are taking them.

Just singers? He is n expert? Maybe he didn't mean this the way we are taking it.

[Wirestone]

Van Dyke agreed to can it? BWPS was from memory? Mike was disgusted? He must not mean these the way we are taking them.

Why not?

The first two are likely quirks of Brian just wanting to be done with the question and answering before thinking. But he is pretty specific about Mike's dislike of the material. I mean, he recalls dialogue.

[Jimmie_R]

How can I listen to this?? :O  Is the whole programme available somewhere?

[Shady]

How can I listen to this?? :O  Is the whole programme available somewhere?

Right this way

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/front-row/

[Jaspy]

You, sir, are an idiot, and a deaf one at that. You're saying that having discovered and listened to all five takes, Mark & Alan looked at each other and said "let's f*ck with some people's minds and say it's Carl". When you hear the full track, you'll realise just how wrong you are.

And people wonder why I sometimes get a little cranky...  

Thanks for the compliment, I just burnt your book.

It's Obvious You Never Read It, Or You'd Never Doubt AGD EVER.

Good point, I never did and never will.
I can't remember the song, but during discussion on this very board (as generally known not a good place for tolerant exchange anyway) I was even the one who corrected an error in that book when AGD swore to death it was Carl but instead Brian obviously sang lead. Was it "I’d Love Just Once to See You"? Can't remember.
Anyway, a day later it still sounds like Carl doing Brian or better Carl sounding like Carl to me. Can't wait to hear the complete song.

[runnersdialzero]

Good point, I never did and never will.
I can't remember the song, but during discussion on this very board (as generally known not a good place for tolerant exchange anyway) I was even the one who corrected an error in that book when AGD swore to death it was Carl but instead Brian obviously sang lead. Was it "I’d Love Just Once to See You"? Can't remember.
Anyway, a day later it still sounds like Carl doing Brian or better Carl sounding like Carl to me. Can't wait to hear the complete song.

So you believe Carl sings "I'd Love Just Once To See You" and the Wild Honey "Surf's Up"?

I see.

[Jaspy]

So you believe Carl sings "I'd Love Just Once To See You" and the Wild Honey "Surf's Up"?

I see.

Yawn.
No, Brian sings lead on ILJOTSY and the few seconds of SU sound like Carl to me.

[runnersdialzero]

So you believe Carl sings "I'd Love Just Once To See You" and the Wild Honey "Surf's Up"?

I see.

Yawn.
No, Brian sings lead on ILJOTSY and the few seconds of SU sound like Carl to me.

otay, fair enough. I still don't know how you can hear Carl on this take of "Surf's Up", but if that be what ye believe, then hay.

[Mikie]

Hasn't it been suggested that the "feelin' the acid yet" line was simply a joke?

I never heard/read someone ever suggesting that that line was a joke. I always thought it was a serious question by Brian.  In line with "Denny, you got any hash joints?"

[Jaspy]

Big hugs to the persons who tolerate my revelation.
Even if the rest of the song will sound like Brian to me, now my inner eye will always see Carl sitting there and singing these previewed bits.

Interesting that Bruce stated he told Brian back in the day to release SMiLE as solo record. Any truth behind that?

[Mikie]

There's obviously inconsistencies in Brian's recollections of the Smile era. A few even in this particular Front Row interview.  I'm starting to wonder if these Brian interviews will have glaringly wrong information and ultimately embarrass Brian. Sometimes he seems to have an amazing memory, and other times he's way off base with contradictions. BWPS was done by memory? No. Brian says he and Van Dyke "knew they were working on a piece of art and working on something good, new and different". And they had a good cry after they recorded it, then the next thing you know Brian decided to shelve it? "It wasn't Beach Boys music", he once said.

Six months to recover from "brain damage" as a result of the drugs? Well, in 1967, they completed one album in 3 weeks and another damn good one was released before the end of the year. And they both had Brian still involved, though admittingly he did "cool out" a little with Wild Honey.  

And is Bruce covering for Mike and minimizing his (and the other Beach Boys) objections to Smile by saying that if they were mad, the singing and general involvement wouldn't have been that good? Like we're not going to see Mike Love grit his teeth in between singing the verses of Cabinessence because the negativism was left outside the front door of the studio?

[Rocker]

You, sir, are an idiot, and a deaf one at that. You're saying that having discovered and listened to all five takes, Mark & Alan looked at each other and said "let's f*ck with some people's minds and say it's Carl". When you hear the full track, you'll realise just how wrong you are.

And people wonder why I sometimes get a little cranky...  

Thanks for the compliment, I just burnt your book.

It's Obvious You Never Read It, Or You'd Never Doubt AGD EVER.

I can't remember the song, but during discussion on this very board (as generally known not a good place for tolerant exchange anyway) I was even the one who corrected an error in that book when AGD swore to death it was Carl but instead Brian obviously sang lead. Was it "I’d Love Just Once to See You"? Can't remember.

"Here comes the night"