New album info (as it rolls out...)

[LostArt]

If it was just called "50"... that might make sense.  I hope they come up with something better, but something like "Summer's Over" isn't really any better.  I'd be alright with "50", though... but hopefully something more classy comes along. 

Yeah.  See, I don't care what the album is called, or what the cover art looks like, as long as the songs are good.  Sure, it'd be nice if it was something classy, but just like the music itself, what's classy to one is crap to another.

[Ron]

Yeah, at least '50' makes sense to everybody that picks up the album.  Anything else might not! 

[Runaways]

Yeah, at least '50' makes sense to everybody that picks up the album.  Anything else might not! 

Is it necessary to tell everyone that it's the 50 anniversary?  Wait, why would an album title confuse people, it's just the title.

[drbeachboy]

The way that promo ends, it looks like "The Beach Boys 50" may indeed be the title. The wording underneath "The Brand New Studio Album", makes it seem so, anyway. Otherwise they should of used "Their" instead of "The". Maybe they will also use the logo in front of the ocean and sky, as the cover. I would be quite happy with that, plus it would match the Reunion Tour advertising.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The way that promo ends, it looks like "The Beach Boys 50" may indeed be the title.

Highly unlikely.

[Justin]

http://www.billboard.com/news/beach-boys-album-it-s-all-brand-new-1006844362.story#/news/beach-boys-album-it-s-all-brand-new-1006844362.story



Beach Boys Album: 'It's All Brand New'
by Gary Graff, Detroit  |   April 23, 2012 2:00 EDT
The Beach Boys' reunion album is nearly mixed and on target for a planned June 5 release, according to the group's Bruce Johnston.


"It's all brand new," Johnston tells Billboard. "There's a lot of what you'd hope to hear from Brian (Wilson) on there. It's not a quilt or a pot luck dinner; it's not like, 'OK, everybody show up with your songs.' It's not one of those kind of albums. There's a lot of Brian in there, and Mike (Love). It's just nice to know there is a Mike Love and a Brian Wilson still around to write together."

Johnston says the album's first single, "That's Why God Made the Radio," was in contention to be the title track but was deemed too long, so alternatives are being considered. Returning member Al Jardine -- who's joining Wilson, Love, Johnston and David Marks for the album and tour, which kicks off April 24 in Tucson -- has revealed that some vocals recorded by the late Carl Wilson will be used on a Jardine-penned song called "Waves of Love," while Johnston says that Brian Wilson composed "a little suite" for the set as well.

The music, he says, "reminds me of our 'Sunflower' album, which is probably one of our least-selling albums, and some of the songs there are stunning. This album has elements, kind of, of everything. And we don't have EMI, Capitol, acting like they did when I joined the band just so paranoid -- 'We gotta have hits! We gotta have hits! Come on, is that a hit?!,' just coming to the sessions and torturing you. It wasn't like that this time. They've listened to the stuff and go, 'Wow, that's pretty nice.'"

Johnston, who composed the fan favorite "Disney Girls," contributed one song, "She Believes in Love Again" that dates back to the mid-80s. "I took it from a recording we made of it in '85 and just stripped it down and softened it up and finally got it right," Johnston says. "I have no idea if it's going in or not. The label picks the songs, not me." The group also recorded a new version of "Do It Again" as a "warm-up" during the sessions, which will be used in a 50th anniversary 'ZinePak due out May 1.

Even as the Beach Boys get ready to hit the road, Johnston says he's surprised that the oft-talked about reunion has become reality. "It was not even my greatest fantasy that this would happen because I thought it would redefine the word 'impossible,' " he says. "I think marking such a milestone as 50 years, especially coming from the world of rock 'n' roll...I mean, Tony Bennett has 50 years, and B.B. King. All of a sudden, and the (Rolling) Stones are gonna find this out, it's 50 years and you're going to celebrate it. I think that's got to be the impetus that got everybody to talk about doing it. Nobody was enemies. Everyone had fake judo fights over the years, but no one got hurt. It was pretty easy."


The Beach Boys currently have dates booked until Aug. 19 in North America, Germany and Japan. More might be added, but Johnston does not think the reunion will turn into a permanent concern. "I don't think that will happen. I think it's going to be one special tour and that's it," Johnston says. "It's with Al and Dave and Brian, so it makes it really kind of special. But Brian's not going to be a touring guy; he would never tour as much as we do. He would hate it. I happen to love it. So does Mike. But it would probably be too much stress on Brian, I think. But this tour will be fun for Brian, I think, and for the rest of us."

[Smilin Ed H]

It's all 'brand new' but he's recorded She Believes in Love Again... again. I like the song, but  surely you've come up with other stuff in the last 25 or so years, Bruce...?!

[Wrightfan]

"The music, he says, "reminds me of our 'Sunflower' album, which is probably one of our least-selling albums, and some of the songs there are stunning."

Classic Brianism 

[HeyJude]

Some interesting tidbits. He claims the label is picking the tracklisting. I hope somebody tells them “She Believes In Love Again” is a 27-year-old song (and single) that fans already heard on an album that has already been released that was by no means a hit single or album and not necessarily a fan favorite.

I’m less hard on doing covers and re-makes and all of that, but just make this stuff b-sides or “deluxe edition” bonus tracks. Same thing for “Do It Again” (which may be what they’re doing with the Walmart package). Maybe Bruce bettered the old version of “She Believes….”. But it’s not “new”, so make it a “Best Buy Exclusive Bonus Track” or something.

You gotta admire it in a strange way. Only the Beach Boys can do that sort of interview or story that leaves you with this weird whiplash, this weird “whaaaa?” reaction. It’s all “new”, and then we hear about a remake of a nearly three-decade old 80’s cheesefest ballad.

Hopefully this isn’t the Bruce song Probyn was talking about. Hopefully he knows the BB catalog well enough that he would recognize that one.

[Mikie]

What the hell's Bruce doing. It's been done, Bruce!! It was already on a Beach Boys album and single almost 30 years ago! It was done right the first time with you, Carl, and Mike on the vocals. Why? Don't you have anything good written or in the can, Bruce, or are you saving the best for your next solo album? I don't get it.

[Rocker]

C'mon Bruce, no re-recording. And without Carl it won't be worth it. It's a nice song and I happen to love it but what made it so good is Carl's vocal. Why are they so keen on re-recording songs that have already been released ? What's the point ? F*ck it, if there's just one re-recording (of released material) I'm going berserk

[HeyJude]

I mean this semi-jokingly, but I have to wonder with all of the talk of the “powers” watching us on the interwebs here, it would seem to indicate they are watching us much more than listening to us. If they were listening to fans and taking their pulse, I would think someone would tell the whole camp that fans probably aren’t going to be too into remakes of any kind on the first new BB album in 20 years, and especially a remake of “She Believes in Love Again.” Plus, it sounds like it’s not even a remake, but a partial re-recording or remix utilizing elements of the original recording.

It’s not too distressing. I’ve been expecting some of these sort of things on this album and tour. BB fans have to take this stuff in stride. The album overall and the tour may well turn out much better than we’re thinking.

[HeyJude]

 It’s also interesting to note if indeed the album is due in six weeks and they still don’t have a final tracklisting or album title. I still contend that may be one of the reasons they haven’t already put the single out; They need to know the exact specs of the album that the single will be promoting.

Or they can just put “from the forthcoming album ‘Eight Arms to Hold You’” on the label.

[southbay]

"Its all new.  Its not a quilt.  It's all Brian and Mike. Its not like we all came in with our songs." GREAT.  "But I have this old piece of 80's schlock I re-recorded for the album."  SAY WHAT?!?  Sigh.  Typical. Whatever.

[Justin]

Unless of course...Bruce ridiculously changed this song to where it's almost unrecognizable to the '85 original?  I doubt it but that's the only way this could fly, in my book.

[Smilin Ed H]

Schlock's a bit strong.  Wonder if Carl's vocals are on it too?

[SMiLE Brian]

Can't believe Bruce's song bag is this empty, he could have wrote an album during touring with Mike from 1998-2010.

[Rocker]

Interestingly, before we've heard anything about the new album and it's songs, say at the beginning of the reunion talk I'd have said that Mike and Bruce will go the nostalgia, oldie, re-record way. Don't get me wrong, I think Bruce seems like a nice guy but I'm not surprised that he wants to go that route. I'm much more surprised Mike doesn't.

[ohthosegirls]

Bruce seems to like to re-do a lot of stuff, even adding things to Brian's songs like "Caroline, No" from that hotel party jam video.

[Autotune]

It’s also interesting to note if indeed the album is due in six weeks and they still don’t have a final tracklisting or album title. I still contend that may be one of the reasons they haven’t already put the single out; They need to know the exact specs of the album that the single will be promoting.

For me, they know more than they are telling. There has been a lot of secrecy and misleading remarks regarding certain aspects of this album. The information they've given in interviews has been very vague, which would lead you to believe they don't know.  Now that'd be strange considering the amount of time they've been investing into this. Same thing with the setlist for the shows... tour starts tomorrow, for God's sake!

To me it seems like a directed PR move: "don't talk much, just give this or that detail, hype up TWGMTR, etc".

They're creating an enormous level of expectation among the fanbase. And that's good promotion.

[NatureShowInStereo]

hard on

[runnersdialzero]

As long as the remix and/or reworking and/or re-recording of "She Believes In Love Again" bumps something else off the tracklist, which I don't see as likely at all, then I'm not opposed. I'd prefer it to be a bonus track, but if it makes the album, meh. Didn't some Wilson kid take a song about some Rhonda lady and put it on two albums in a row because he felt he drastically improved upon the original?

[Emdeeh]

Does the remake of "She Believes in Love Again" retain Carl's lead vocal??

[SMiLE Brian]

Good point RDZ, have to admit that "she believes in love again" is a guilty pleasure for me. Still I wouldn't want it on the new album if it keep new material off it.

[NatureShowInStereo]

I could see there being multiple versions of the album. "Deluxe" editions, iTunes bonus tracks, etc.