Is Bambu all that great??

[Mike's Beard]

Another beautiful moment on Bambu is in the song "Love Remember Me". At 1:43 into the song. This piece of it was making the rounds separately before the Legacy release, and it sounds like it may have been spliced in. Was it Dennis' intention to integrate this part into the song or was it edited in for this release? It sounds great - sounds like women singing on that - I figure Karen Lamm and/or Tricia Roach? Sounds full like a choir!

Love comes tumblin' down on you
My love comes driftin' down on you
Oh, come on, come on, hello, come on
My love comes gently down on you

Sounds beautiful!  

And while I'm here (can't resist!) and not Bamboo related but it can be found on Dennis Wilson Rarities - Dumb Angel 14. For those who haven't heard it, seek it out. Quad Symphony. Supposedly as a favor to Steve Desper, Dennis allowed segments of several song fragments he had recorded in quadrophonic sound to be pressed onto an acetate for Desper to use to demonstrate quad sound. There's a piece of a song called "All My Love". I read somewhere that this contains 350 overdubs of Dennis’ voice. Just shows you what Dennis was capable of - I've always loved that and can imagine if it made it into a complete song.

 

Love Remember Me is without a doubt my personal highlight of the Bambu material and the only song from it I listen to on a regular basis. I've never heard such raw, powerfull emotion from one man's singing.

[Jay]

Honestly even though there is some late seventies cheese on a few of his cuts,  Dennis just had this gift of making everything he did in the studio have some sort of quality. I don't think he ever didn't try. I don't think he could do what he could in 1970 by say 1980 (or even 1975 if we count his voice) but all of his work (not counting the lesser shows from 1977-83 where he is in increasingly bad shape) has such integrity. Bambu does not represent a dip at all for me as music, obviously his life had declined but not his creativity which after 1978 does seem to have taken a backseat if not a decline, except again vocally as he really couldn't sing after Rocky and Stan beat him up on Superbowl Sunday 1981.

Listening to Dennis's mid 1970's work is for me kind of like a roller coaster of emotions. It's incredibly sad that the man who was responsible for songs like "Love Remember Me" and "Are You Real?" was falling from grace and just couldn't hold on to a somewhat stable and sober life. But at the same time if pisses me off! I mean, I want to put my arms through the cd's and shake him and say "What the hell is wrong with you! Don't you realise what you're capable of?". He had such an amazing talent to create this music. He had so much more to give! I firmly believe that if he could have toured with POB and then completed and released Bambu, he would have been a huge force to be reckoned with.

[donald]

I had vinyl copies of both albums, one studio, one a boot, for years and mostly listened to the boot of bambu (the grey and maroon cover).  I found Bambu more......"accessible", more down to earth, less over the top and dramatic than POB.   It is a matter of taste and preference rather than which one is best.  I am glad that some of DWs music found its way to the BBs LA album.  The album would have been somewhat of a dud without them.

[positivemusic]

The only song I can say I'm not crazy about is "Under The Moonlight." To me it just doesn't feel very "Dennis."

How do you feel about What's Wrong? It sounds to me like Under the Moonlight, Part One.

I'd never thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, I'd agree. "What's Wrong?" has always been my least favorite on Pacific Ocean Blue. I think the lyrics are clever, but the song feels like a "common" song, not really on par with Dennis' usual level.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

For some reason, "What's Wrong" always makes me feel like I'm drunk when I listen to it. I'll bet this was Denni's intention in part!

..... Think I'll go to the fridge and grab a cold one 

[Sam_BFC]

I love All Alone just for the first 10 seconds...

[WWDWD?]

Big Star's 3rd (Sister Lovers) is basically unfinished and it's rightly hailed as a classic. Hopefully Bambu will be too someday.

I just looked up those three albums you mentioned above, and ater reading about them I'm rather curios. Do you have any more examples of "tortured/wrecked epics"?

Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos" is a pretty tortured and amazing epic. My favourite Big Star related release. It's more of a compilation rather than an album... but it flows pretty awesomely. The title track is just the best. http://youtu.be/kR594Kkxmzg

[Curtis Leon]

It takes time to get into Bambu. Doubly so because it wasn't finished. With POB, you're instantly overwhelmed by the classical piano, choir vocals, and grand feel of River Song, which sets the tone for the rest of the album. On Bambu, the sound is both louder and more vicious, and yet softer and gentler due to the larger presence of the ballads.

For me, it was hearing It's Not Too Late that caused me to go back and assess this album properly.

[c-man]

Big Star's 3rd (Sister Lovers) is basically unfinished and it's rightly hailed as a classic. Hopefully Bambu will be too someday.

I just looked up those three albums you mentioned above, and ater reading about them I'm rather curios. Do you have any more examples of "tortured/wrecked epics"?

Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos" is a pretty tortured and amazing epic. My favourite Big Star related release. It's more of a compilation rather than an album... but it flows pretty awesomely. The title track is just the best. http://youtu.be/kR594Kkxmzg

Agreed.  I became a major Big Star fan the year that set was first released (1992, along with the definitive version of "Third/Sister Lovers" and the live album from a '74 radio broadcast).

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Big Star's 3rd (Sister Lovers) is basically unfinished and it's rightly hailed as a classic. Hopefully Bambu will be too someday.

I just looked up those three albums you mentioned above, and ater reading about them I'm rather curios. Do you have any more examples of "tortured/wrecked epics"?

Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos" is a pretty tortured and amazing epic. My favourite Big Star related release. It's more of a compilation rather than an album... but it flows pretty awesomely. The title track is just the best. http://youtu.be/kR594Kkxmzg

Agreed.  I became a major Big Star fan the year that set was first released (1992, along with the definitive version of "Third/Sister Lovers" and the live album from a '74 radio broadcast).

First became aware of I Am The Cosmos when a friend brought over that Big Star live album from whatever college that was in the 90's! The Posies guys sings it really well, but I then sought out the original and was absolutely blown away!

[Mr. Wilson]

Its obvious DW was depressed and bambu was less joyous....He was losin it + new it..BUT..The pain in those songs are real + something for all of us to learn from..I posted this on another thread..DW had the WORLD by the tail..And STILL lost it..Something we can all learn from..DW legacy is his great music + pain....The guy had the thread + lost it..What a shame..GOD bless U DENNIS..WE Miss you..  Rejoice in the music we have..The guy was totally original like BW..The other guys were followers.. BW + DW were leaders..No offense to other BB..They have all had their original joyous moments....We love U but..Those 2 jeez are on another level..When i listen to DW material i actually get tears..SOULFUL to 9th degree..IMHO..

[DonnyL]

I really hope we get more '69-'72 Dennis stuff included somewhere in these anniversary releases ... and more than just a token few.

[SMiLE Brian]

The more Dennis material released, the better. A Dennis Wilson box set would rock as well.

[Alan Smith]

The only song I can say I'm not crazy about is "Under The Moonlight." To me it just doesn't feel very "Dennis."

How do you feel about What's Wrong? It sounds to me like Under the Moonlight, Part One.

I'd never thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, I'd agree. "What's Wrong?" has always been my least favorite on Pacific Ocean Blue. I think the lyrics are clever, but the song feels like a "common" song, not really on par with Dennis' usual level.

For some reason, "What's Wrong" always makes me feel like I'm drunk when I listen to it. I'll bet this was Denni's intention in part!

..... Think I'll go to the fridge and grab a cold one 

'What's Wrong' is amazing - and it reminds me of Dennis's depiction in the Steve Gaines book - "...he started playing the piano on his own when he was fourteen..he played well enough to hack out a mean boogie-woogie."  So this song makes me think of that kid bashing out trad rock numbers in his living room, and the kind of music he was exposed to growing up.

Not to mention his multi tracked harmonies.  Having a cold one now, in fact 

[Slow In Brain]

The more Dennis material released, the better. A Dennis Wilson box set would rock as well.

Is there enough unreleased Dennis music to create a box set ?

[southbay]

Alright, I love Common but nobody has mentioned it as far as I can see. Do we not think it was intended to be completed for Bambu?

[c-man]

Alright, I love Common but nobody has mentioned it as far as I can see. Do we not think it was intended to be completed for Bambu?

John Hanlon indicated that it was meant to have a vocal, but Dennis never got around to it. 
Incidentally, anyone interested in Bambu should check out my essay on the album at http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/custommusic2/craigslowinskicom2.pdf#page=35.

[I. Spaceman]

Yeah, Bambu is all that great and more.

[anazgnos]

I had POB on vinyl & and some Bamboo bootlegs before the reissue came out, but for some reason I don't think I ever fully appreciated either of them until the Legacy edition came out.  Now it all just seems like a continuum to me, with no major difference in quality between the two pieces.  And there are some amazing 'progressive' moments on Bambu, like the coda to "Are You Real", and "Album Tag Song", so I don't have any sense that Dennis was pulling back in his ambitions or whatever on that record.

[Bosco82]

Jon may not like it but I like the alternate version of All Alone better than the released Bambu version. The heavier drums and the electric keyboard give it a different sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dnYaNMaPrQ

[Jay]

I actually agree. Even though Dennis goofs up the words, and seems to lose interest half way through, I like it much better than the other version. The think the keyboard's/synthesizer's give the song a more "progressive" feel. The saxophone in the first version just seems kind of cheesy. I love Dennis's vocal on the first version though.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Am I alone in consistently misreading this thread title as "Is Bambi all that great??"

[joshferrell]

the question should really be "Is Keith Moons two sides of the moon as good as POB and Bambu?" 

[Amazing Larry]

Tug of Love is tremendous.

Mike's unreleased hot tub video?   

Tub Of Love would be a great MTV talk show with Mike interviewing celebrities in a hot tub.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Yes, and the follow up show a few months later would be "Celebrity Pregnancies"