THE BEACH BOYS ANNOUNCE 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION, NEW ALBUM AND TOUR

[Mike's Beard]

I wonder if any of the CATP era outtakes are any good? Seeing as the album was only eight songs long.
If Jon Stebbings reads this, Jon do you have any idea what tracks from Dennis's unfinished solo record from 1970 with Daryl Dragon are in circulation and what the odds are of them seeing the light of day?

[Mikie]

"Big Sur". The slow version (4/4). Essential that it gets released.

And the fast version of "Rock & Roll Music" with the original last verse intact.  

[Jeff]

"Big Sur". The slow version (4/4). Essential that it gets released.

And the fast version of "Rock & Roll Music" with the original last verse intact.  Release the mofo!

 

[Mikie]

OK, Jeff, I edited out the last line.

Howsat?

[Jeff]

OK, Jeff, I edited out the last line.

Howsat?

A bit better I s'pose.  Just keep in mind that there's likely to be only a limited number of slots for unreleased material.  The albums-with-bonus-tracks thing is a possibility, but we could get nothing more than a handful of unreleased tracks scattered across a comp.  So an alternate of R&R Music (which I think a fair number of people on this board would not want) could be released to the exclusion of something else that people would want.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but if the powers-that-be actually read this board, it would be best to let them know which tracks really should be released.  Let's not have another situation where we get "Our Team" rather than "Everyobody Wants to Live."

[Keri]

...The management team should have realized that, if they were going to make a BW solo record a priority, that the style and sound of Imagination was not the way to capitalize on the mid-90s BW underground buzz. As it was, it took them another nine years or so to regain that cred (with BWPS).

Yeah it wasn't right, I liked imagination quite well at the time, it had been so long since I'd had a Brian Wilson album of new material, but now it is one of my least favourites, the production is slick and the arrangements lack the Brian Wilson touch. I still like it more than any of the post Love You albums, but I much prefer GIOMH, it is a much quirkier album with more interesting arrangements.

For the rest of the Reunion stuff, the tour doesn't excite me as it is unlikely to get to New Zealand so I'm unlikely to see them, the new album is what excites me the most, it could be good, I'm almost sure to like it if Brian remains in charge. I like the sound of DIA and new songs would be really welcome. The archival releases I can take or leave, I haven't yet got Pet Projects which probably has more stuff on it that i would like than any unreleased material. Adult Child does interests me, i loved It's Over now & Still I dream of it from the Good Vibrations boxset. But buying a boxset for maybe one or two songs, nup.

[Jim V.]

OK, Jeff, I edited out the last line.

Howsat?

A bit better I s'pose.  Just keep in mind that there's likely to be only a limited number of slots for unreleased material.  The albums-with-bonus-tracks thing is a possibility, but we could get nothing more than a handful of unreleased tracks scattered across a comp.  So an alternate of R&R Music (which I think a fair number of people on this board would not want) could be released to the exclusion of something else that people would want.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but if the powers-that-be actually read this board, it would be best to let them know which tracks really should be released.  Let's not have another situation where we get "Our Team" rather than "Everyobody Wants to Live."

Honestly, I'm not betting that The Beach Boys will release a bunch of previously unreleased stuff with this 50th anniversary campaign, but I just wanted to give an idea for what is out there. As far as the albums released with extra material, I'm personally not so sure that will happen, but it would be awesome if it did. However, I do think the box set will have a nice helping of previously unreleased material, and I'm sure with Mark and Alan presumably running the show, we will get the cream of the crop. And if there are deluxe reissues too, then hey, that is just awesome!

You do bring up an interesting point though. Who was in charge when they decided to put "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" and "Games Two Can Play" on the box set instead of the 1974 "California Feelin" or "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again"??

[Jeff]

OK, Jeff, I edited out the last line.

Howsat?

A bit better I s'pose.  Just keep in mind that there's likely to be only a limited number of slots for unreleased material.  The albums-with-bonus-tracks thing is a possibility, but we could get nothing more than a handful of unreleased tracks scattered across a comp.  So an alternate of R&R Music (which I think a fair number of people on this board would not want) could be released to the exclusion of something else that people would want.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but if the powers-that-be actually read this board, it would be best to let them know which tracks really should be released.  Let's not have another situation where we get "Our Team" rather than "Everyobody Wants to Live."

Honestly, I'm not betting that The Beach Boys will release a bunch of previously unreleased stuff with this 50th anniversary campaign, but I just wanted to give an idea for what is out there. As far as the albums released with extra material, I'm personally not so sure that will happen, but it would be awesome if it did. However, I do think the box set will have a nice helping of previously unreleased material, and I'm sure with Mark and Alan presumably running the show, we will get the cream of the crop. And if there are deluxe reissues too, then hey, that is just awesome!

You do bring up an interesting point though. Who was in charge when they decided to put "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" and "Games Two Can Play" on the box set instead of the 1974 "California Feelin" or "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again"??

The selections really were bad.  The Smile stuff was a no-brainer, but "Punchline"?  "The Things We Did Last Summer"?  "Ruby Baby"?  With the options that they had, it's hard to believe they made those choices.

[seanmurd]

You do bring up an interesting point though. Who was in charge when they decided to put "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" and "Games Two Can Play" on the box set instead of the 1974 "California Feelin" or "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again"??

I love both of those songs -- "H.E.L.P." and "Games Two Can Play" -- what's wrong with them?

I'm very curious to see how this new box set plays out. Will there be a lot of overlap with the 1993 box? If the new box is going to have (for example) 80% of the same tracks that the 1993 box had, I'd almost rather they just remaster the original box and throw in an extra (sixth) disc of new outtakes. Will it be a second "hits and rarities" box, or will the new one be entirely unreleased stuff? I got the impression after the Endless Harmony and Hawthorne sets that the Powers That Be didn't think there was much else worth releasing in the vaults (except for the SMiLE stuff, of course, which is now mostly all released).

[Jim V.]

You do bring up an interesting point though. Who was in charge when they decided to put "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" and "Games Two Can Play" on the box set instead of the 1974 "California Feelin" or "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again"??

I love both of those songs -- "H.E.L.P." and "Games Two Can Play" -- what's wrong with them?

I'm very curious to see how this new box set plays out. Will there be a lot of overlap with the 1993 box? If the new box is going to have (for example) 80% of the same tracks that the 1993 box had, I'd almost rather they just remaster the original box and throw in an extra (sixth) disc of new outtakes. Will it be a second "hits and rarities" box, or will the new one be entirely unreleased stuff? I got the impression after the Endless Harmony and Hawthorne sets that the Powers That Be didn't think there was much else worth releasing in the vaults (except for the SMiLE stuff, of course, which is now mostly all released).

I enjoy both of those songs. But when have a source like AGD saying how great things like "Live Again" and the '74 "California Feelin'" are. And there is supposedly all this great early '70s Dennis material in the ca still, I just think maybe there are some songs that were more worthy to be released than "H.E.L.P...." or "Games Two Can Play."

And yeah, it does seem like after Endless Harmony and Hawthorne that somebody seemed to think there wasn't much in the way of valuable unreleased material. But....not to sound like a whiner, but neither of those albums were exactly chock full of previously unreleased stuff. There were a whole lot of stereo remixes (some of which are awesome, and revelatory) and relatively unimportant live versions, and even the inclusion of a previously released song by ol' Brucie ("Endless Harmony"). I think if they would have stepped up to the plate with more unreleased material those albums would've done a lot better. I mean, how many truly previously unreleased songs were on Hawthorne. Three?

[Paulos]

You do bring up an interesting point though. Who was in charge when they decided to put "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" and "Games Two Can Play" on the box set instead of the 1974 "California Feelin" or "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again"??

I love both of those songs -- "H.E.L.P." and "Games Two Can Play" -- what's wrong with them?

I'm very curious to see how this new box set plays out. Will there be a lot of overlap with the 1993 box? If the new box is going to have (for example) 80% of the same tracks that the 1993 box had, I'd almost rather they just remaster the original box and throw in an extra (sixth) disc of new outtakes. Will it be a second "hits and rarities" box, or will the new one be entirely unreleased stuff? I got the impression after the Endless Harmony and Hawthorne sets that the Powers That Be didn't think there was much else worth releasing in the vaults (except for the SMiLE stuff, of course, which is now mostly all released).

I enjoy both of those songs. But when have a source like AGD saying how great things like "Live Again" and the '74 "California Feelin'" are. And there is supposedly all this great early '70s Dennis material in the ca still, I just think maybe there are some songs that were more worthy to be released than "H.E.L.P...." or "Games Two Can Play."

And yeah, it does seem like after Endless Harmony and Hawthorne that somebody seemed to think there wasn't much in the way of valuable unreleased material. But....not to sound like a whiner, but neither of those albums were exactly chock full of previously unreleased stuff. There were a whole lot of stereo remixes (some of which are awesome, and revelatory) and relatively unimportant live versions, and even the inclusion of a previously released song by ol' Brucie ("Endless Harmony"). I think if they would have stepped up to the plate with more unreleased material those albums would've done a lot better. I mean, how many truly previously unreleased songs were on Hawthorne. Three?

Two to my mind - Lonely Days and A Time To Live In Dreams.

[I. Spaceman]

"Punchline"?  "The Things We Did Last Summer"?  "Ruby Baby"?  

All great.

[Wirestone]

You do bring up an interesting point though. Who was in charge when they decided to put "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" and "Games Two Can Play" on the box set instead of the 1974 "California Feelin" or "(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again"??

I love both of those songs -- "H.E.L.P." and "Games Two Can Play" -- what's wrong with them?

I'm very curious to see how this new box set plays out. Will there be a lot of overlap with the 1993 box? If the new box is going to have (for example) 80% of the same tracks that the 1993 box had, I'd almost rather they just remaster the original box and throw in an extra (sixth) disc of new outtakes. Will it be a second "hits and rarities" box, or will the new one be entirely unreleased stuff? I got the impression after the Endless Harmony and Hawthorne sets that the Powers That Be didn't think there was much else worth releasing in the vaults (except for the SMiLE stuff, of course, which is now mostly all released).

I enjoy both of those songs. But when have a source like AGD saying how great things like "Live Again" and the '74 "California Feelin'" are. And there is supposedly all this great early '70s Dennis material in the ca still, I just think maybe there are some songs that were more worthy to be released than "H.E.L.P...." or "Games Two Can Play."

And yeah, it does seem like after Endless Harmony and Hawthorne that somebody seemed to think there wasn't much in the way of valuable unreleased material. But....not to sound like a whiner, but neither of those albums were exactly chock full of previously unreleased stuff. There were a whole lot of stereo remixes (some of which are awesome, and revelatory) and relatively unimportant live versions, and even the inclusion of a previously released song by ol' Brucie ("Endless Harmony"). I think if they would have stepped up to the plate with more unreleased material those albums would've done a lot better. I mean, how many truly previously unreleased songs were on Hawthorne. Three?

The 93 box does many things right and a few wrong. One of the wrong is overlooking Dennis Wilson. The box does him no favors -- and it's because he really didn't write hits for the band. But that's why you don't have Live Again or other unreleased tunes from him. Also, the Brianistas were driving that bus.

The thing about H.E.L.P. and Games is that they are very, very Brian tunes, and one has a really nice, sweet lead from BW. They're also pretty near finished. (Unlike the California Feelin' demo, let's say.) So no, they're not brilliant songs exactly, but they're very nice and representative of a kind of song that Brian-fans really dig.

Also, Endless Harmony was a soundtrack. Hawthorne was an audio documentary of the Capitol era. Neither one was solely a rarities collection, and neither one professed to have definitive historical scope. They were great for what they were, but an entire era of the band (basically 1970 on) has been poorly documented in terms of unreleased material.

[Nicko1234]

The 93 box does many things right and a few wrong. One of the wrong is overlooking Dennis Wilson. The box does him no favors -- and it's because he really didn't write hits for the band. But that's why you don't have Live Again or other unreleased tunes from him. Also, the Brianistas were driving that bus.

I don't think Dennis was overlooked 'that' much. 1 or 2 songs shy maybe but San Miguel might well not have been included as it had been released before. I agree that the Brianistas definitely were in charge though.

I think any new box could have loads of interesting unreleased stuff from 1970 onwards. And it could include things like It's a Beautiful Day, Where I Belong, Somewhere Near Japan etc. that were omitted from the previous set.

But I doubt there is that much of interest from the 60s that hasn't been released. The only reason I can think why Punchline, The Things we did Last Summer and Ruby Baby were included previously is surely because there wasn't much else. This time we might get Back Home, another Party outtake, Gonna Hustle You (?), Beginning of the End perhaps but nothing earth-shattering.

[Jay]

"Carry Me Home" (Holland era) would be a nice addition as well.

Love that one.  Kinda depressing for the masses, but...........Blondie did a great job. Evidently the booted version is the only recorded version in existence. Every time I listen to it, I think I hear Toni Tenille on that.

"I've Got A Friend" cleaned up and the '63 and '70 versions of "Back Home" for me.

And the alternate "Add Some Music" would be cool.

What do you mean when you say I've Got A Friend "cleaned up"? Is there something wrong with the master tape?

[Wirestone]

To me, classic Dennis is something like "Cuddle Up" or "Steamboat." To discover those after the box set made me feel a little cheated.

Yes, in retrospect, there are quite a few good Dennis tracks on the set. But somehow it doesn't seem to capture him as a fully creative entity.

[anazgnos]

"Carry Me Home" (Holland era) would be a nice addition as well.

Love that one.  Kinda depressing for the masses, but...........Blondie did a great job. Evidently the booted version is the only recorded version in existence. Every time I listen to it, I think I hear Toni Tenille on that.

"I've Got A Friend" cleaned up and the '63 and '70 versions of "Back Home" for me.

And the alternate "Add Some Music" would be cool.

What do you mean when you say I've Got A Friend "cleaned up"? Is there something wrong with the master tape?

Presumably he's talking about the live version, which is really lo-fi.  I guess I read there was a studio take but it had no vocals? 

[vintagemusic]

I finally heard the unreleased BBoys track "Your'e a Mystery" on one of the websites.

Its ok, Soul Searchin is ten times better. I mean its not bad, but the bootleg, sounds so
unfinished and like its down about three or four generations. Its kind of kooky, didin't
go where I expected it to, with some polishing it would be ok I guess.

As far as bonus tracks, when they put the "previously unreleased" tracks as bonus tracks
I notice bands and record companies stretch them a bit and sometimes use them slightly
out of sequence to their historical accuracy. Depending on how many albums and how
many extra tracks they have. I noticed McCartney and Harrison both did some bonus
tracks on reissued studio albums, and they fudged the bonus tracks a little bit, so they
would have at least a couple for each album, they would take something cut in 72 and put
it on an album cut in 73-74 to economize.

The other option is a disc of solely unknown material, The WHo did that with ODDS AND SODS
the Beatles Anthology, lots of groups have done it that way also.

I'm cool with either approach just as long as the tracks become availabe in good fidelity.

I cant imagine reissues with bonus tracks until both SMILE and the forthcoming Studio album
have run their course.

[tansen]

"Games Two Can Play" is such an amazing song - the chord progression is great!

I agree it would be nice getting a the 74 version of California Feelin', but of course it would be nice getting songs we haven't already heard too. Wouldn't it be Nice to Live Again is a good candidate. But don't get me wrong, I'd love to hear Brian's California Feelin' piano demo too.

[I. Spaceman]

The only reason I can think why Punchline, The Things we did Last Summer and Ruby Baby were included previously is surely because there wasn't much else. 

I can think of another reason:
They are great outtakes that hadn't been previously released or even bootlegged.

[Nicko1234]

The only reason I can think why Punchline, The Things we did Last Summer and Ruby Baby were included previously is surely because there wasn't much else. 

I can think of another reason:
They are great outtakes that hadn't been previously released or even bootlegged.

Are there any mediocre songs that you don't think are great? 

[drbeachboy]

The Things We Did Last Summer is great if only because we get to hear the Boys sing a true Four Freshmen type arrangement, which they really only did on a few songs. A great look at Brian's musical roots.

[lance]

I like all those songs too. I can't understand how anybody could not like Punchline...what exactly is so awful about that song? It's a cool little instrumental.

[John Manning]

Punchline rocks.

Not sure where all this discussion is heading - sounds like some folk are already disappointed with the track list of the box, the archive issues and the greatest hits package!

If Mark and Alan are at the helm I have absolute faith that we won't be disappointed, whatever they throw at us and whatever form it takes.

Roll on 2012, say I!

[Jeff]

Some of you seem not to care what is released, as long as something is released.  It doesn't matter what it is--if it says "Beach Boys" on it, you're going to claim that it's "great."  But you're not doing the rest of us any favors.  Essentially, you're telling the record company that it doesn't have to put any effort into ensuring a quality product, because you'll blindly buy it no matter what.

Personally, I do care what is released, and I won't buy it if it isn't a quality product.  And yes, I'll be bummed if Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again and the alternate Add Some Music are left in the can in favor of stuff like Punchline, Ruby Baby, etc.

So that's where this is headed--at least it's where I'm headed with my posts.  If there's any chance at all that decision makers read this, I hope they see that there are several tracks which a lot of us really want to see released.  I also hope they don't see the posts talking about the supposed greatness of Punchline and The Things We Did Last Summer.