Brian Wilson's 11th solo album announced today

[SurfRiderHawaii]

So you, yet another veiled insult.
I absolutely believe you deserve each other  

How can we deserve each other? He's my uncle remember.  

You seem to have the thinnest skin of anyone I've ever known judging by how often you feel insulted.  

Uncle or Father figure. I couldn't be thin skined as I've patiently answered all your questions about my opinions. For some reason you have to act out in posts instead of going to PM. Says something about you.

Be happy to come see you in person or give you my address and we can hash out our differences in person. I am quite the friendly guy., love to hear some of your new tunes

[SMiLE Brian]

I wonder how much longer M&B can tour non-stop. Brian's group is only only doing seven shows this year along with an album. I question why a wealthy man like ML wants to tour to the death in questionable venues.

- For more money
- To have sex with many beautiful ladies
- Because he has the touring in his blood and genuinely seems to enjoy it

Talk about turning down touring with Brian for all the wrong reasons. If money and sex are more important than the group's legacy and touring with the BBs family, Mike is a truly sad individual.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

As to the premise DBA won't last, Al got unhappy, got unwanted and left Brian's tour because he wasn't getting paid.

Wrong. He knew he wasn't getting paid from day one: that had nothing to do with why he left the tour somewhat precipitately.

Right. My source says otherwise. And he IS an honored guest on here, unlike you. I know your memory is foggy here, I have a couple of PMs from you on this very subject.

You keep right on thinkin' Butch, that's what you're good at.

That's the best you can do Mr. Doe. I better call BMI, I mean BRI.

I am still waiting for my apology when you repeatedly called me a liar and then you got banned.

Unlikely to happen, on account of my terrible memory.  

Touche. Now that was AGD standard!

[Nicko1234]

Talk about turning down touring with Brian for all the wrong reasons. If money and sex are more important than the group's legacy and touring with the BBs family, Mike is a truly sad individual.

I don't think the group's legacy matters to any of them that much really. As mentioned earlier, Brian and his management would have been happy in 1998 for Mike and Al to have been touring with separate bands using The Beach Boys name as long as they were being paid enough. It is a business.

I think Mike would rather be touring with his actual family (Christian) than the BBs family as you put it.

I don't think those were the only reasons for not touring with Brian anyway. Mike had compromised a lot for the C50 tour (probably more than any of us would have expected beforehand) and it is not hard to imagine him getting tired of it as Jon Stebbins stated at the time.

[Wirestone]

Talk about turning down touring with Brian for all the wrong reasons. If money and sex are more important than the group's legacy and touring with the BBs family, Mike is a truly sad individual.

I don't think the group's legacy matters to any of them that much really. As mentioned earlier, Brian and his management would have been happy in 1998 for Mike and Al to have been touring with separate bands using The Beach Boys name as long as they were being paid enough. It is a business.

I think Mike would rather be touring with his actual family (Christian) than the BBs family as you put it.

Eh. That's going a bit far. They have released boxed sets like TSS, and Brian did go ahead and finish Smile. The did C50 itself. There is definitely recognition there that they have a body of work to be proud of. I do think that the status quo from Carl's death till now (with the exception of the reunion shows) is basically an accommodation that allows everyone to do the most of what they like with the least interference from the others. And I'm sure they all feel their current work pays tribute to that legacy, in one form or another.

[Mikie]

C'mon you guys, cut the bullshit, wouldja?

My God, this subject has been milked for all its worth anyway. We all know about why the C50 tour ended and those who keep harping about it just don't want to admit the real reasons for it and are in denial. Everybody second-guesses the hell outta everything to do with this. This fuckin' subject has been done to death for a year and every time I come back here day after day I see that the same ol' thing has resurfaced with the same people and same bullshit and nobody's convincing anybody anyway, so call it a tie, eh? It's really gettin' old, and we need to find something else to talk about. There's gotta be something! Serious!

I think each one of us should start a thread as far way from the subject of the demise of the C50 tour and why each band is going its own way and doing its own album or whatever. It's been discussed ad nauseum from every possible angle and variable. It's fuckin' been done to death and its boring as hell and all it does is start the same fuckin' arguments over and over.

[Nicko1234]

Eh. That's going a bit far. They have released boxed sets like TSS, and Brian did go ahead and finish Smile. The did C50 itself. There is definitely recognition there that they have a body of work to be proud of. I do think that the status quo from Carl's death till now (with the exception of the reunion shows) is basically an accommodation that allows everyone to do the most of what they like with the least interference from the others. And I'm sure they all feel their current work pays tribute to that legacy, in one form or another.

Oh, sure they are proud of the work that they've done but they are also a business at the same time. I think they are more concerned with the here and now than they are the future when they are all gone. I really don't think it would have entered Mike's head for a moment to think, 'I don't want to continue with the C50 tour but as it will benefit the group's legacy maybe I should just like it and lump it'.

[Mahalo]

C'mon you guys, cut the bullshit, wouldja?

My God, this subject has been milked for all its worth anyway. We all know about why the C50 tour ended and those who keep harping about it just don't want to admit the real reasons for it and are in denial. Everybody second-guesses the hell outta everything to do with this. This fuckin' subject has been done to death for a year and every time I come back here day after day and the thing resurfaces with the same people and same bullshit and nobody's convincing anybody anyway, so call it a tie, eh? It's really gettin' old, and we need to find something else to talk about. There's gotta be something.

Serious. I think each one of us should start a thread as far way from the subject of the demise of the C50 tour and why each band is going its own way and doing its own album or whatever. It's fuckin' been done to death and its boring as hell and all it does is start with the same fuckin' argument over and over.

Amen- I just think it's a miracle to be getting another BW solo album.

[KittyKat]

It still befuddles me -- still! -- that Brian's wishes have been given so little consideration here. He wanted to keep touring with the band. He wanted to make more Beach Boys records. But apparently a couple of pre-booked dates at tiny venues mean all of that doesn't matter.

I'm not sure why Capitol Records wants to release a new Brian Wilson solo album.

They like it? They think the can move some units? Because it's a prestige artist signing that appeals to the shrinking demographic that still buy high-margin physical copies of music?

The Beach Boys reunion albums didn't even sell that well with the Beach Boys name, why do they think a Brian album would sell that well?
 Yes, the BB reunion did go to Number 3, but it was a soft number 3 with a lot of heavy discounting (as in $5 downloads and $10 CD's). Even with the discounts, I doubt it sold that many copies when all was said and done.

Heavy discounting is the norm with virtually all new releases these days. And most albums don't sell millions upon millions of copies anymore. Regardless, a #3 placing is extremely respectable.

If Brian is financing the sessions (and BriMel actually owns the masters), Capitol probably won't be spending very much on this solo record anyway.

I have no interested in hearing another Brian solo CD.

Then why post in this thread?

He has star guests on this one, but so did GIOMH. I'm not a fan of GIOMH.

There is precisely one star guest. Jeff Beck. There are a lot of players working on it, and a couple of former Beach Boys, but I would hardly call any of them "star guests." And I don't know what a nine-year-old album has to do with anything here.

Brian's vocals are getting rougher as the years go by.

Except for the fact that his best recorded solo singing has been on albums released over the last three years.

At this point, meh, at least as far as new material goes. If Brian can't write and produce by himself anymore, I'm not sure what the point it.

Again, why bother posting on this thread then? Many of us are interested, especially in new material.

Why are you people fighting the same battle about Mike vs. Brian and the C50 shows being over, taking up 75% of this thread, then saying posters who don't think Brian is a genius who's gonna knock it out of the park with yet another solo record, aren't entitled to an opinion? If Brian is still so good, why is he so dependent on Joe Thomas to write (excuse me, co-write) his songs and to produce them? If he sings so well, why does he use so much Autotune and other sweetenng?

[Mahalo]

I know one thing.... even though his albums are tarnished by people trying to make a BW record sound like a BW record, there is still that timbre in his voice that somehow captures youth, innocence, humor, and honesty that keeps me buying most of his records...most not all. (I can't bring myself to buy GIOMYH because I can't stand E John...)

Far from perfect, I really like his voice....no matter what stage in his life...

[JohnMill]

C'mon you guys, cut the bullshit, wouldja?

My God, this subject has been milked for all its worth anyway. We all know about why the C50 tour ended and those who keep harping about it just don't want to admit the real reasons for it and are in denial. Everybody second-guesses the hell outta everything to do with this. This fuckin' subject has been done to death for a year and every time I come back here day after day and the thing resurfaces with the same people and same bullshit and nobody's convincing anybody anyway, so call it a tie, eh? It's really gettin' old, and we need to find something else to talk about. There's gotta be something.

Serious. I think each one of us should start a thread as far way from the subject of the demise of the C50 tour and why each band is going its own way and doing its own album or whatever. It's fuckin' been done to death and its boring as hell and all it does is start with the same fuckin' argument over and over.

The thing is I'm not sure if there really is right now.  There isn't much information out there about anything Beach Boys or Brian Wilson related at the moment although several different projects are certainly on the horizon from the BAD tour to the MIC box set to Brian's new solo record.  As of 6/8/13 though the most recent event worth talking about is the C50 tour of last summer and the absolute firestorm that erupted from the decision not to go forward last fall.  To summarize if there was something else worth talking about that also hasn't been brought up a million times already we'd be talking about it.

We've dissected SMiLE.  Heck we've dissected every Beach Boys album.  Brian isn't touring at the moment.  The M&B concerts remain somewhat of a polarizing topic of discussion.  Nobody (aside from perhaps The Prof) has any idea what MIC will contain which leaves discussion about that box set to rampant speculation and the ever present wish lists.  We've already burned the 2CD C50 Live Album in effigy only for some forum members to realize it isn't that bad.  Heck I even suggested a group board game a few weeks back!  As I said we're really "Busy Doin' Nothin"" at the moment here at the SSMB in terms of hot topic conversations.   At least the C50 debate is something that many members seem to be passionate about although personally I don't have anything new myself to add to the topic.

[the professor]

Oh John you are right. I read this everyday because I am so broken-hearted, and I keep hoping for a "no, Mike changed his mind: he and Bruce are back in the studio. . ." So silly. I myself will go silent until my particular critical powers are summoned for MIC.

[Mikie]

As of 6/8/13 though the most recent event worth talking about is the C50 tour of last summer and the absolute firestorm that erupted from the decision not to go forward last fall.

Well, this is what I'm talking about. For almost one (1) year now this subject has been on an endless merry-go-round and you guys are still arguing about the ifs ands and butts about it. IT'S DONE!

The subject of Smile is funny. When that box came out, everybody and their brother and all the Smile-o-philes from years past came out of the woodwork to contribute - and most of it was positive, but there's always some sad sack who doesn't like something and that's fine. But there's nothing else to talk about with the bygone C50 tour! It's a great memory, and there's still a lot to celebrate and listen to with the new Live CD. And people are bitchin' up and down and all around about THAT!. The C50 is done and it ain't coming back. It passed away, just like Carl & Dennis did, and nothing we do can bring it back! It's a business - they aren't there to please the fans all the time. Brian has another solo coming out (hopefully the Rock & Roll album he's been talking about since 2000 or however long it's been) and some here are whining that it ain't a Beach Boys album! sh*t!!!  C'mon, it's already planned! It's destiny. Let's just be happy we get another new album at all, people!

All that being said, 1 1/2 hours ago I started a basic goofy thread with not a whole lot of thought behind the subject matter, and 15 people have contributed to it already. What does that tells ya?? 

[Mikie]

Heck I even suggested a group board game a few weeks back!  

Yeah, how come that fizzled out??  That was good! You should revive it. Ever since I picked up the Beatles Monopoly game a few years back, I've always thought it would be cool to have a Beach Boys version. Even the Stones have a Monopoly game. Why not America's band?

[JohnMill]

Oh John you are right. I read this everyday because I am so broken-hearted, and I keep hoping for a "no, Mike changed his mind: he and Bruce are back in the studio. . ." So silly. I myself will go silent until my particular critical powers are summoned for MIC.

You don't have to live broken hearted though.  You can light some candles, put your favorite records on the turntable, pull all the faith you can find and meet me at Mary's Place.  

Mikie it might be done for you but apparently isn't for others, with all due respect of course.  I'm going to take a break for a day or two, come back later on then and see what's up.  Maybe go hang out at Mary's Place for awhile.  Ciao.

[oldsurferdude]

As to the premise DBA won't last, Al got unhappy, got unwanted and left Brian's tour because he wasn't getting paid.

Wrong. He knew he wasn't getting paid from day one: that had nothing to do with why he left the tour somewhat precipitately.

Right. My source says otherwise. And he IS an honored guest on here, unlike you. I know your memory is foggy here, I have a couple of PMs from you on this very subject.

You keep right on thinkin' Butch, that's what you're good at.

That's the best you can do Mr. Doe. I better call BMI, I mean BRI.

I am still waiting for my apology when you repeatedly called me a liar and then you got banned.

The "you keep thinkin' Butch" comment has been used by the agdster on many a post over the years-it usually indicates he's running low on fuel and will be switching to battery power (9 volt) at any moment. It's usually shortly after that, that the fuse blows, the panties bunch, and the all too familiar foaming is directed at anyone who takes issue with him or myKe luHv and brOOth.  

[Andrew G. Doe]

I wonder how much longer M&B can tour non-stop. Brian's group is only only doing seven shows this year along with an album. I question why a wealthy man like ML wants to tour to the death in questionable venues.

- For more money
- To have sex with many beautiful ladies
- Because he has the touring in his blood and genuinely seems to enjoy it

Talk about turning down touring with Brian for all the wrong reasons. If money and sex are more important than the group's legacy and touring with the BBs family, Mike is a truly sad individual.

Suggest you go down to the corner store - I hear there's a special on "a sense of humor" today. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Nobody (aside from perhaps The Prof) has any idea what MIC will contain...

Um, think you'll find there are several registered - and active - posters of this forum who have a notion about what will be on the box ranging from vague to fair, as has been hinted at in the recent past.

[Micha]

Of course the question is academic whether BAD touring as the BBswould be as succesful as M&B. Still you gave your opinion on it in an earlier post. You chose not to answer my question what makes you think so. And I don't know what happenings on a tour years ago have to do with the academic premises of BAD touring as the BBs nowadays. I agree with you that it won't happen ever but they did manage to do the whole C50 tour together. So what if BAD would do a M&B-like tour as the BBs, don't you think they'd sell as many tickets as the other two guys do?

AGD did give an answer. Because there is no way that Brian and the other guys would be willing to go out and play 100 gigs a year.

The very idea of it is preposterous to be honest and if Carl's estate had to choose (it will never happen) then obviously they would go with Mike. Mike has adapted the current BB band into a successful 7 piece band who will perform at any venue if the money is right.

If BAD were to call themselves 'The Beach Boys' then having an 11 or 12 piece band (plus presumably higher travelling costs) would make much less business sense. Does anyone think that Melinda would or should be talking Brian into playing any county fair going anyway?

*sigh* Obviously I'm not even capable of asking my question in a way anybody gets my point. I'm not arguing that it would make any sense for Brian, Al and David to do a M&B-like tour under the name "The Beach Boys". They won't ever, that's for sure, my question was : If they did, would they likely sell less tickets than M&B do? Academic question.

[Nicko1234]

*sigh* Obviously I'm not even capable of asking my question in a way anybody gets my point. I'm not arguing that it would make any sense for Brian, Al and David to do a M&B-like tour under the name "The Beach Boys". They won't ever, that's for sure, my question was : If they did, would they likely sell less tickets than M&B do? Academic question.

Ok. I can understand the question and obviously I'm not AGD.

I think if Brian, Al and David using the Beach Boys name were to do the same touring schedule as Mike and Bruce and play all of the county fairs as well as the other venues then they could sell as many tickets. But the costs for them in traveling and having a much bigger band would mean that I certainly don't think it would be as big a success in business terms.

All of these things are linked in and Brian has had more 'success' touring solo (in that he has been able to release new work and gain credibility as a solo artist) than he would have trying to tour as a 3 piece Beach Boys.

[Mike's Beard]

It's brand name recognition. Brian and Al touring as "The Beach Boys" would sell no more tickets than Mike and Bruce do by using the name. Solo Brian shows have often lost money in the past. Plus Brian would in no way ever commit to the touring schedule that Mike does so unless shows are booked out way in advance in bigger venues and heavily promoted they would never make as much money. And it would effectivally end his solo career progression because roughly 90% of the people attending would have zero interest in hearing new Brian material.

This topic refuses to die, so let's spin it on it's head for a moment; if it had been Mike who wanted to extend the C50 tour and Brian wasn't interested would people still be bemoaning the breakup in the same way? No the consensus would be that of evil, no-talent Mike Love is again trying to exploit his poor, defenceless cousin to further his own career.

Just accept that 70+ year old men are not willing to live their lives in a bubble created by hardcore fan's expectations of what they should or shouldn't be doing and move on. I hear Brian has a new solo record on the way.

[filledeplage]

It's brand name recognition. Brian and Al touring as "The Beach Boys" would sell no more tickets than Mike and Bruce do by using the name. Solo Brian shows have often lost money in the past. Plus Brian would in no way ever commit to the touring schedule that Mike does so unless shows are booked out way in advance in bigger venues and heavily promoted they would never make as much money. And it would effectivally end his solo career progression because roughly 90% of the people attending would have zero interest in hearing new Brian material.

This topic refuses to die, so let's spin it on it's head for a moment; if it had been Mike who wanted to extend the C50 tour and Brian wasn't interested would people still be bemoaning the breakup in the same way? No the consensus would be that of evil, no-talent Mike Love is again trying to exploit his poor, defenceless cousin to further his own career.

Just accept that 70+ year old men are not willing to live their lives in a bubble created by hardcore fan's expectations of what they should or shouldn't be doing and move on. I hear Brian has a new solo record on the way.

Thanks for that very balanced post.  I guess one difference as between the bands' touring success might be that Mike seemed to start from scratch with a new/different model of the Band, and followed the prescribed BRI model. But the challenge seemed to be to carve out venues and demographics who wanted to hire the new configuration. And they weren't perfect (any more than anyone or any other business start-up) but became great (my opinion) after time and much practice and Band reconfigurations.  

Brian's seemed to be a different model, mixing a "corpus" such as Pet Sounds or TLOS, SMiLE live, being the lead singer, giving a little intro to the songs, and also doing the greatest hits so everyone could get up and rock out.  

Early in Brian's touring, Melinda lent her wonderful support by sitting in the wings, and later moving to the audience within the first few rows.  And, rather than having Brian do the smaller outdoor/indoor touring circuit, where you could expect to plan to see Brian every spring or summer, there was no set pattern to see him, which didn't help.

People are creatures of habit. And many of these seasonal venues just book out, bands such as Chicago, Darius Rucker, etc., and if an act doesn't get into that "touring groove" when they want to tour, they are continuously starting from scratch. They often play two nights in a row, which might compensate for not using a larger venue.  And people book tickets and act lineups for "subscribers" in January for August.  These might not all be the over-the-top grandiose venues but it is consistently good business where people come back year after year.  

[Mikie]

Just accept that 70+ year old men are not willing to live their lives in a bubble created by hardcore fan's expectations of what they should or shouldn't be doing and move on. I hear Brian has a new solo record on the way.

There ya go, Pilgrim!   

[Cam Mott]

It's brand name recognition. Brian and Al touring as "The Beach Boys" would sell no more tickets than Mike and Bruce do by using the name. Solo Brian shows have often lost money in the past. Plus Brian would in no way ever commit to the touring schedule that Mike does so unless shows are booked out way in advance in bigger venues and heavily promoted they would never make as much money. And it would effectivally end his solo career progression because roughly 90% of the people attending would have zero interest in hearing new Brian material.

This topic refuses to die, so let's spin it on it's head for a moment; if it had been Mike who wanted to extend the C50 tour and Brian wasn't interested would people still be bemoaning the breakup in the same way? No the consensus would be that of evil, no-talent Mike Love is again trying to exploit his poor, defenceless cousin to further his own career.

Just accept that 70+ year old men are not willing to live their lives in a bubble created by hardcore fan's expectations of what they should or shouldn't be doing and move on. I hear Brian has a new solo record on the way.

Well done. Especially if the reason we heard was Brian was just tired and resentful of kissing Mike's ass. Then Mike starts claiming he got fired by Brian and blah, blah, blah. I bet the discussion would be what a prick Mike was for wanting to go beyond the agreement and do another album and expecting Brian to change his plans with his band and blah, blah, blah.

I'm feeling blah today.

[runnersdialzero]

Man, this thread blew up. Is anyone else feeling a bit "yawn" over this? Granted I haven't heard it yet, but TWGMTR is, by leaps and bounds, overall the best thing any Beach Boy has done since... shit. The late 70s? I don't know. All I know is that while I love Brian, to me his solo output generally has about 1-2 really great songs, maybe 1-3 good songs and I can take or leave the rest. I encourage him to do what he wants, I always look forward to hearing what he has to offer, I'm so glad he's still at it, but nothing he nor anyone else in the band has done in terms of albums has been in the same ballpark as Radio. A few songs probably surpass it, but that's it. The other guys have done some good stuff on their own too, but again, it just doesn't compare. I really feel they need each other to make it work and to really nail it. I have to wonder how much Dave or Al will even be featured beyond the extent of Brian's usual guests.

I just don't get why any members and any people behind the curtain can't set aside their fucking egos to continue to at least record more Beach Boys records. These guys don't have much time left, as sad as it is to say. Not happy with Mike, but also not happy with the continually spiteful people behind Brian, either. An album stating outright that it features Al and Dave and not any other members reeks of the typical "We're having a party, you're not invited because you didn't bend to our will 100000% of the time. We invited your friends, mostly because it makes us look good," shit that's went on for years. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure some of the blame can be put on the five band members, but I feel it's been made pretty apparent that the majority of this crap lies in the hands of their "people": handlers, wives, lawyers, whatever. Yuck.

The people behind Brian need to realize that Mike probably feels an obligation to his touring family and friends to keep them fed and prospering just as the Mike camp needs to realize that they should probably feel a similar obligation to Brian, Al and David and accommodate and include them. Same goes for their touring groups if that's a concern. Some kind of simple compromise could have been met and could still be met, but no. Too much ego, too much money, too many cooks in the kitchen aside from the only five people who earned their spot there. I guess the folks behind the curtain needn't concern themselves with the human aspect of it all, as long as the money continues to come in and they can continue to create needless drama for the sake of retaining public interesting (and money, by extension), keeping the story spicy so they can sell them more David Leaf "documentaries". The Beach Boys' time on this earth may be limited, but the paychecks they bring in to these people isn't. Thanks for ensuring something that could continue to bring a lot of people joy doesn't continue and probably never will again. ^_^

I wish some simplicity could be brought back into the picture. It's, as they say, "a damn shame" that something can't be done to ensure such a legendary group can't at least write and record music together as human beings anymore.

(inb4 "runnerz this is conspiracy theory sh*t ur insane u need help". I KNOW )