To what extent did Brian write and produceTWGMTR

[Gabo]

TWGMTR (Wilson 20). I'd say Brian perhaps came up with the title, and otherwise it's his vocal (and perhaps instrumental) arrangements that flavor a song by other hands.

He said in an interview the title came from Joe Thomas. I think in the Beach Boys' Charlie Rose interview last year?

[the professor]

Radio is a  Joe Thomas production, as will be the current  "BW is in the studio" adventure.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Brian is "credited as produce of TLOS" but if he actually produced it then his one good ear has gone bad. It's atrociously produced. The CD is completely unlistenable and while demonstrably better the vinyl is still pretty bad - some members might remember the graphs I posted back in 2008 to prove the fact. I think it was AGD who said that something odd happened when he ripped the CD for his iPod it actually sounded much better. Or maybe it's the mastering engineer who is deaf. Such a shame because the music is 10/10 material.

TWGMTR, aside from the autotune, is actually well produced. It has a good dynamic range, the instruments and voices are not fighting to be heard at any time - they are all at a pleasing level. It is easy on the ear and comfortable to listen from start to finish even at high volume levels. The vocal processing isn't great in a lot of places. Has Autotune been used with Brian before? Oh yes, certainly since BWPS...but it is used very sparingly on BWPS and TLOS, just here and there on longer notes where perhaps he wavered. It's not always noticable on first listen.

You totally misunderstand the term 'production' in a musical sense.

Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer

This may make you completely rethink your understanding of  the phrase 'Produced by Brian Wilson', or it may not.

Exactly.  And to put it another way, if Andy Warhol produced The Velvet Underground & Nico, then Brian Wilson produced That's Why God Made the Radio and had a lot more impact on that album than Warhol had on the VU album (not to belittle Warhol's involvement, he was a producer in the sense that he financed the project, he just had no musical involvement whatsoever).

[joshferrell]

I hear mostly bits and pieces of Brian here and there..in music, arrangements, lyrics and production..(Here are the bits that at least to me sound like pure "Classic" Brian from 60's/70's)
1.Think about the days -the harmonies and French horn
2.That's why God made the radio-harmonies, saxophone, staccato piano part, "It's paradise when I lift up the antenna" and "Waved his hand gave up RNR" Lines maybe some of the guitar fill-ins.
3.isn't it time-muted bass, background vocals, first big change and the bass line being played during that change, bells, and second big chord towards the end change/bass line, synths, woodblock.
4.spring vacation- intro and piano/organ during it, harmonies, "What's it to you hallelujah" "Easy money ain't life funny" lines
5. the private life of bill and sue- bass line, xylophone, harmonies, saxophone, muted bass, staccato muted guitar towards the end.. that's about it for this one.
6.Shelter- this one sounds very Brian throughout, so this is the most Brian sounding song up until now on the cd, from the harmonies to the bass lines to the overall arrangement, maybe not the lyrics though, The title of the song.
7. daybreak- nothing sounds like Brian on this one and of course we all know why, because he had nothing to do with it..
8.Bitches...err I mean Beaches in Mind- intro, harmonies. "we got beaches in mind man it's been too much time" lyric and the name of the title.
9. Strange world-the second song on the cd that sounds very much like a Brian Wilson song throughout , from the arrangement, bass line, percussion, chord changes, the lyrics, song title,piano, harmonies, bicycle bell, the string instruments. the outro.
10.from there to back again- piano, flute, bass line, harmonies, guitar, muted bass pretty much the whole thing, not sure about the lyrics or whistling though, outro.
11. pacific coast highway- intro, harmonies, piano, flute, strings, cello, "I'm better on my own" line, "Highway one the setting sun" line as well
12.Summers gone-the percussion, the xylophone, the snyth "Harpsichord", harmonies, wind instruments, outro.

[Wirestone]

Radio is a  Joe Thomas production, as will be the current  "BW is in the studio" adventure.

Sourcing?

[phirnis]

...
5. the private life of bill and sue- bass line, xylophone, harmonies, saxophone, muted bass, staccato muted guitar towards the end.. that's about it for this one.
...

I presume he did much more than that. Would be very surprised if anyone other than Brian had a hand in writing the verse lyrics and melody. It's all very "Busy Doin' Nothin'" in a way.

[AndrewHickey]

...
5. the private life of bill and sue- bass line, xylophone, harmonies, saxophone, muted bass, staccato muted guitar towards the end.. that's about it for this one.
...

I presume he did much more than that. Would be very surprised if anyone other than Brian had a hand in writing the verse lyrics and melody. It's all very "Busy Doin' Nothin'" in a way.

Joe Thomas said that the verses, and the lyrical idea, were Brian and the choruses were Thomas. He didn't say who came up with the middle section, but "sometimes life can be so strange" sounds like a Brian line to me. The backing vocal "hum dadyada" stuff sounds like a Brian idea to me, too.

[astroray]

To my ears, the only song Brian produced in years is "I'm into Something Good" with Carole King.

[c-man]

...
5. the private life of bill and sue- bass line, xylophone, harmonies, saxophone, muted bass, staccato muted guitar towards the end.. that's about it for this one.
...

I presume he did much more than that. Would be very surprised if anyone other than Brian had a hand in writing the verse lyrics and melody. It's all very "Busy Doin' Nothin'" in a way.

Joe Thomas said that the verses, and the lyrical idea, were Brian and the choruses were Thomas. He didn't say who came up with the middle section, but "sometimes life can be so strange" sounds like a Brian line to me. The backing vocal "hum dadyada" stuff sounds like a Brian idea to me, too.

Thomas also said Brian did all the vocal arrangements, so ALL the backing vocal parts through the whole album would be his ideas (except for Mike's track).

[EgoHanger1966]

Yeah, but Thomas also claims it's Brian on the "Shelter" falsetto, so you have to take what he says with a grain of salt.

[AndrewHickey]

Yeah, but Thomas also claims it's Brian on the "Shelter" falsetto, so you have to take what he says with a grain of salt.

I find the claim that Brian did all the vocal arranging fairly believable, actually -- we know that even at his worst points, Brian's been able to work out vocal arrangements very quickly and more or less to order.

[Wirestone]

Yeah, but Thomas also claims it's Brian on the "Shelter" falsetto, so you have to take what he says with a grain of salt.

I find the claim that Brian did all the vocal arranging fairly believable, actually -- we know that even at his worst points, Brian's been able to work out vocal arrangements very quickly and more or less to order.

Which is one of the several reasons that I think that Brian's producer credits are all more or less deserved (even if some of the albums may have deserved a co-prod credit or three). BW is mainly known as the member of a harmony group, after all -- if he's still responsible for virtually all of the harmony parts of his albums, he has huge role in how those records sound.

[Cabinessenceking]

Why did they put the shitty rain/thunderstorm effects in the tag of Summer's Gone? Way to f*** up something pretty. CCW is the only song I've ever heard such effects come to good use (and even there it is only done to tie the music together and give the song cohesion. Were they thinking they could replicate that or something? Bad, bad ideas.

[AndrewHickey]

Why did they put the shitty rain/thunderstorm effects in the tag of Summer's Gone? Way to f*** up something pretty. CCW is the only song I've ever heard such effects come to good use (and even there it is only done to tie the music together and give the song cohesion. Were they thinking they could replicate that or something? Bad, bad ideas.

I suspect if anything they were thinking of the end of Caroline, No. I thought the effects sounded OK, myself, but then I'm not a huge fan of the song.

[Wirestone]

Why did they put the shitty rain/thunderstorm effects in the tag of Summer's Gone? Way to f*** up something pretty. CCW is the only song I've ever heard such effects come to good use (and even there it is only done to tie the music together and give the song cohesion. Were they thinking they could replicate that or something? Bad, bad ideas.

The sound effects are lovely. And part of a long tradition that includes 409, Caroline, Diamond Head and many others.

[Sam_BFC]

I think those thunder rain sounds go pretty well with the fading-into-the-distance tack piano and flutes (?) .

[runnersdialzero]

Why did they put the shitty rain/thunderstorm effects in the tag of Summer's Gone? Way to f*** up something pretty.

'Cause summer's gone, you nitwit. Summer's gone. Here comes the rain. Here comes the storm. This is the end of the Beach Boys as you know them. The sun sets for everything eventually. My life is nearing its end. Enjoy yours.

You NITWIT.

[Micha]

7. daybreak- nothing sounds like Brian on this one and of course we all know why, because he had nothing to do with it..

If the vocal intro isn't 100% Brian then I don't know what is.

[Jim V.]

7. daybreak- nothing sounds like Brian on this one and of course we all know why, because he had nothing to do with it..

If the vocal intro isn't 100% Brian then I don't know what is.

Well, I mean, Brian was on it....but it definitely wasn't something he arranged, as the same intro (minus Brian, Al, Bruce, and Jeff) was already in place for the version that is floating around the internet from Mike's proposed solo album from last decade.

[drbeachboy]

7. daybreak- nothing sounds like Brian on this one and of course we all know why, because he had nothing to do with it..

If the vocal intro isn't 100% Brian then I don't know what is.

Well, I mean, Brian was on it....but it definitely wasn't something he arranged, as the same intro (minus Brian, Al, Bruce, and Jeff) was already in place for the version that is floating around the internet from Mike's proposed solo album from last decade.

And you don't think Brian's influence is all over that title? I'm sure Mike soaked in a thing or two over the years working with Brian.

[SMiLE Brian]

Why did they put the shitty rain/thunderstorm effects in the tag of Summer's Gone? Way to f*** up something pretty.

'Cause summer's gone, you nitwit. Summer's gone. Here comes the rain. Here comes the storm. This is the end of the Beach Boys as you know them. The sun sets for everything eventually. My life is nearing its end. Enjoys yours.

You NITWIT.

Bravo Runners!!!!

[runnersdialzero]

I MEANT ENJOY

GOOD GAH

[Cabinessenceking]

respect for Runners plummeted.

[Micha]

7. daybreak- nothing sounds like Brian on this one and of course we all know why, because he had nothing to do with it..

If the vocal intro isn't 100% Brian then I don't know what is.

Well, I mean, Brian was on it....but it definitely wasn't something he arranged, as the same intro (minus Brian, Al, Bruce, and Jeff) was already in place for the version that is floating around the internet from Mike's proposed solo album from last decade.

I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I knew that the basic track and some bg vox were recorded by Mike earlier, but I hadn't heard the "original" mix. I only know the "First Love" version which is pretty terrible IMHO and doesn't feature the intro. OK, so very little Brian arranging there, just some influence.

[runnersdialzero]

respect for Runners plummeted.

Don't sass me.