*Merged* Brian Wilson current album thread

[Wirestone]

It gets him press in "Rolling Stone" to have all these people on his album. I'm not even sure it gets him press anywhere else.  It might get him more plays on Spotify. Where he'll get fractions of pennies for each play. I wonder if anyone has ever sat down and explained to him that hit records don't exactly exist anymore. Very few people buy downloads on iTunes and Amazon anymore, even fewer buy CD's, and fewer still buy vinyl. He doesn't create a type of music that's likely to get played on terrestrial radio even if it has some type of appeal, because he doesn't fit in the formats that are hot. This may be his last album simply from that standpoint alone. It's not worth spending all that money on an album that has little or no chance of breaking even financially. I doubt Capitol will ever fund a year and a half of off and on studio work again.

How do you know that Capitol funded it?

That being said, I'm sure the record company pushed the duets. They want to have a big, splashy BW album to coincide with the biopic and new book. It will get him some extra late night bookings, too.

It actually makes quite a bit of sense for an artist of his vintage.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

It gets him press in "Rolling Stone" to have all these people on his album. I'm not even sure it gets him press anywhere else.  It might get him more plays on Spotify. Where he'll get fractions of pennies for each play. I wonder if anyone has ever sat down and explained to him that hit records don't exactly exist anymore. Very few people buy downloads on iTunes and Amazon anymore, even fewer buy CD's, and fewer still buy vinyl. He doesn't create a type of music that's likely to get played on terrestrial radio even if it has some type of appeal, because he doesn't fit in the formats that are hot. This may be his last album simply from that standpoint alone. It's not worth spending all that money on an album that has little or no chance of breaking even financially. I doubt Capitol will ever fund a year and a half of off and on studio work again.

How do you know that Capitol funded it?

That being said, I'm sure the record company pushed the duets. They want to have a big, splashy BW album to coincide with the biopic and new book. It will get him some extra late night bookings, too.

It actually makes quite a bit of sense for an artist of his vintage.

I could be wrong, but I still have the nagging feeling that Brian would really rather just make a stripped down (for him) little rock n roll album without much fuss.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I'm old-school, in that I prefer listening to an album all the way through from beginning to end, and I'm about 99.9% certain that Brian is too, but what I don't understand is why Brian can't do a song here and there when he feels like and just throw it up on iTunes? Yeah, sales on iTunes have decreased over the past year, but I wouldn't say 'very few people' buy tracks off of iTunes, although sadly I must agree that applies to CDs. Maybe he's doing this album as an actual album because *gasp* he WANTS to? As far as terrestrial radio, agreed that he doesn't fit any format, but that really doesn't matter anymore. More and more people these days listen to things like Sirius, for example....and Brian's included in that by his own admission.

Jeff Beck excepted, not sure why Brian suddenly needs/ wants all these 'guests' on the new album. Yeah, he's written loads of songs for singers other than himself over the years, but at this stage in his career, for one I want to hear Brian sing, especially as his voice has improved a lot over the last 10 years. I'd understand bringing in other singers more if his voice/ health had deteriorated but he still wanted to carry on working. The only other lead singer I want to hear on a new BW-led album is Al Jardine in particular or any of the other living Beach Boys.

I doubt these 'guests' will shift many more copies for him. After all, Al's album had real luminaries like Glen Campbell, Neil Young, Steve Miller and the Beach Boys themselves and that was hardly a smash in commercial terms. One 'guest duet' I could handle, but this looks in danger of being a 'BW duets with mostly disposable young singers' album. In years to come, how many of these names will even be remembered particularly? This may 'date' the album more than recent others imo.

I'm with you in that I want to hear Brian Wilson sing on a Brian Wilson disc (same thing with his concerts, especially), but I think in this case this is interesting simply because Brian's never done this before. To be honest, he should've done an album with current artists back in 1995, when was the indie hipster flavor of the month, so to speak. Of course, he sings better now,so maybe not.

One way to look at this (and has been brought up before by others)...it may help to think of this as Brian's Phil Spector album...producing/writing for various artists under his name, although in this case Brian is still singing on it. And I get that some on this board have an issue with Brian working with young (-ish) artists, but it's not like he's recording with Taylor Swift or something. Zooey and Del Rey have more of a college age/young adult fan base as opposed to teenyboppers, and Brian still has a following in that  group, albeit not as much as 19 years ago. Not familiar with Kacey Musgraves, as modern country is not my thing. Frank Ocean is a very odd pick, although Brian must've hit it off with him since they ended up doing two songs together (that I know of...).  That said, he's certainly a cut above other current hip hop artists , although he doesn't quite fit that genre (he sings as opposed to rapping).  The biggest artist sales-wise Brian's working with is Nate Reuss (from Fun), and...well...that was the one I was doubtful about at first, as I was only familiar with the song he did with Pink (where was WAY off key during the Grammies) and 'We Are Young'. But, I heard a few acoustic live tracks, and now I think it may work.

As far as Al Jardine's album...Al has less commercial appeal than Brian, and as awesome as Glen Campbell, Neil Young, ect. are, they're not exactly lighting up the charts for a long time now anyway. Apples and oranges.

[the captain]

I find the almost singular obsession with Deschanel's participation interesting. Even if we're sticking to younger collaborators (as opposed to Beck, Was, ex-Beach Boys), we've got kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean, the guy from Fun. (Name escapes me ).

No opinions on that? Just all Zooey, all the time. For people interested in questioning credibility (and I'm not), Del Rey can't even play an instrument, yet it's Zooeys shortcomings?

Just funny, I guess. Ocean seems like the strangest fit BY FAR to me, and all of them are interesting for one reason or another.

Can't you guys just be ok with people discussing things and maybe us not all being on the same page? Zooey's being zeroed in on only because someone posted that recording snippet.... And get ready for when the damn thing is released! With such a roll call of disparate characters, there will doubtlessly be many such attempts at discussion/dissection. If we're just going to shut down and rage at those who drift away from the party-line, that spells little fun for anyone.

What are you talking about? I'm not a "you guys" and I would prefer to be considered on my own merits and posts. I understand the recording snippet building interest, but the ad nauseum Deschanel discussion was going on before that. There is no "shut down and rage at those who drift away from the party line" implied in my post. If you're angry at anyone, it ought not be me.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I don't think he was necessarily singling you out, rather just responding to you AND others at the same time. At least that's how I took it...could be wrong, and if I am, I apologize in advance.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I don't think he was necessarily singling you out, rather just responding to you AND others at the same time. At least that's how I took it...could be wrong, and if I am, I apologize in advance.

No. That was right on the money

[the captain]

If that's the case, cool. The quote made it seem pretty specifically directed. But anyway, whatever. I like to think I'm pretty open to damn near anything, and so don't appreciate being lumped in anywhere (if that was the intention).

Regardless, it cracks me up that YOU apologized in advance. These eggshells on which we walk are sure fragile.

[alf wiedersehen]

These eggshells on which we walk are sure fragile.

Seems they're getting more fragile by the day.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

If that's the case, cool. The quote made it seem pretty specifically directed. But anyway, whatever. I like to think I'm pretty open to damn near anything, and so don't appreciate being lumped in anywhere (if that was the intention).

Regardless, it cracks me up that YOU apologized in advance. These eggshells on which we walk are sure fragile.

Ummm... *I* was the one who apologized, in case I was misreading the post!

[the captain]

If that's the case, cool. The quote made it seem pretty specifically directed. But anyway, whatever. I like to think I'm pretty open to damn near anything, and so don't appreciate being lumped in anywhere (if that was the intention).

Regardless, it cracks me up that YOU apologized in advance. These eggshells on which we walk are sure fragile.

Ummm... *I* was the one who apologized, in case I was misreading the post!

I knew you were apologizing, I just didn't see why you might be doing so.

[the captain]

Either way, can we just agree I'm always right, funny, creative, insightful, and fucking handsome? Thanks.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

If that's the case, cool. The quote made it seem pretty specifically directed. But anyway, whatever. I like to think I'm pretty open to damn near anything, and so don't appreciate being lumped in anywhere (if that was the intention).

Regardless, it cracks me up that YOU apologized in advance. These eggshells on which we walk are sure fragile.

Ummm... *I* was the one who apologized, in case I was misreading the post!

I knew you were apologizing, I just didn't see why you might be doing so.

Because I hate when people misinterpret what I say or put words in my mouth, and I wouldn't want to do it to someone else.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Either way, can we just agree I'm always right, funny, creative, insightful, and fucking handsome? Thanks.

Finally something we can all agree on  


I think it helps sometimes to sit back and remind ourselves (myself at least) that we're here discussing 50 of the most drama filled years of the most unique and all over the map people and music in history ..... Wildly disparate opinions come with the territory, and if they did not, something would surely be wrong.

[guitarfool2002]

Reality check: Go back to the first few pages of this discussion over a month ago and Zooey was being called out well before the 10-second video was shared. Same with Lana. Frank Ocean, not as much. Maybe because when his name came up, at that time it was not yet confirmed by the Rolling Stone blurb.

But the point is, there have been attempts made every which way but loose to hurl crap at this project. Everything from the notion that Brian would even have guest vocalists participating, to how much of the new music was new versus old, to how much Brian was even involved, to whether or not he used Autotune...in other words, just another day in the park.

For those who joined this board in recent years, let me add that I saw this same kind of thing play out on other boards related to this one when Brian announced a Christmas album would be released. Some folks who may or may not have been genuine assholes just could not accept the fact that people might just be interested or even excited by an album of Brian Wilson Christmas music. That's not what he should be doing, they said. He should be making real rock records. Then the cover came out...and that was immediately savaged too. "Clip art", "cheap", whatever else could be thrown at it.

Opinions are fine, they're also a dime a dozen when it's all added up. Everyone has one. What got me at that time was the nagging feeling that the criticisms and even the resulting arguments were more personal and had less to do with Brian Wilson or his music than it did with bad feelings towards people who happened to be fans of Brian. If you defended him or said you liked the album, you were a "Blueboarder", you were delusional, you were loyal to a fault, you were defending something you knew was crap but couldn't take off the blinders because it was Brian, you were anything but a fan who was excited to hear a Brian Wilson album.

At that point, I realized there was some real, genuine negativity and a combination of spite, jealousy, or some other entity involved in that kind of interaction that went far beyond Brian Wilson or his music. The fact it was Brian's music or Brian in general was a convenient entryway to get a dust-up underway, or in general to make something positive for some into something negative. Spread the misery, piss on a campfire, use whatever phrase works.

Remember, this was about 10 years ago. I hated to see it play out then, I'll always hate to see it. If it happens that Brian Wilson and his solo projects are the topics it seems to happen around, I guess some things don't change.

So going back to those first 4 or so pages of this thread, let's talk Zooey. When it went from people legitimately not knowing Zooey, or Frank, or Lana through their music, some people started to post things about them. Some positive, some not, but that's welcome opinion as it should be. You like it or you don't, at least people unfamiliar can follow up and see what they're all about.

When it turned out some investigated Lana's music and...liked it...and some realized Zooey's connection with Brian went beyond guesting on an album, and she had a considerable list of music credits of her own, the pairing made more sense.

So what happened? Zooey and Lana were shown to be legit musicians, some actually liked what they heard, so now the focus shifts to discrediting Zooey's "credibility" as a musician. She's the typical actress, daughter of Hollywood, handed the breaks others busted their nuts to get and never got...all that stuff. She's not all that, she's not legit, she's this or she's that.

Oh, and Lana...let's not go there yet. I'm sure her name will come back into the fold soon enough.

But back to Zooey; Then it was shown what her albums were, what her music was about, how she had fans and thousands of them, how she even covered BB's tunes, how she was nominated for a Grammy in basically the same songwriting category Mike had been nominated for back in 1988/89...

...now the Grammys are crap, meaningless, no one cares, they don't matter, etc.

That's been the M.O. of a lot of these threads. The point can't be backed up, so attack another aspect of it. When that fails, try to make that aspect illegitimate. When all else fails, move to another object to scorn and dismiss.

So there it is, honestly I wouldn't give much of a flying f*** about this. But it reminds me so much of the similar dust-ups around the Christmas album, how ridiculous and pointless it all was, and yet over close to 40 pages it's still happening.

The fact that it's centered around Zooey Deschanel is in itself absurd, but from where I stand it looked a lot like zeroing in on something thought to be an "easy target" to find another entry into bashing Brian Wilson (or his fans, take your pick), yet when it turned out she was actually a legit musician and songwriter, look where it went. She and Mike shared a Grammy nomination decades apart...they both lost...but who cares because the Grammy is worthless anyway. Yeah, tell that to Mike and whoever wrote the word "Grammy" as the first word of his artist bio. Tell it to anyone who won or was nominated.

You don't care for Zooey's music? Fine. Don't like Lana's music? Fine. Try saying *that* as a simple opinion or preference instead of using all of these ridiculous notions to diminish a new Brian Wilson album.

Just for me, there are a lot of classic artists I really like whose new albums I either don't like after hearing them or simply don't care about in general. I'm not going to their message boards or Facebooks or fan communities to endlessly pick apart or critique them, simply because there are better things to do in life than get people angry about music.

Which reminds me...

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

All that said, we are all free to have our opinions. And a messageboard is a place where we are free to air them. That's a reality check as well. It seems too often that a simple dissenting opinion is treated as an attack. No amount of qualifications can always make someone reconsider and like something that does not move them. I honestly don't see some M.O to trash or bash Brian, however we are allowed to have our opinions about anything he's doing and hash it out. There is no grand authority here that can make it illegal. Yet here you are trashing folk's opinions because they offend your own as if they've no more right to them than you to yours. And you're seeing conspiracies in there as well.... This is just a discussion board, man.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Thank you for summing up my feelings far better than I've been able to guitarfool.
Pinder, agreed it's just about opinions, but when they're uninformed, thats where i have an issue. Not referring to you,  but the mentality that GF pointed out. Not mentioning names, but it seems like some on this board(not just on this thread) seem to go out of their way to find something to complain about, facts be damned. And really, some people here will NEVER be happy, no matter what happens.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Thank you for summing up my feelings far better than I've been able to guitarfool.
Pinder, agreed it's just about opinions, but when they're uninformed, thats where i have an issue. Not referring to you,  but the mentality that GF pointed out. Not mentioning names, but it seems like some on this board(not just on this thread) seem to go out of their way to find something to complain about, facts be damned. And really, some people here will NEVER be happy, no matter what happens.

But what's this about uninformed opinions? What is this decision based upon? I've heard every She & Him album and have seen them live. It didn't make me much of a fan. And I knew about Zooey's Grammy. Am I not allowed to not be blown away by artistic material that I've taken in? I live her voice fine but am not really into the whole package. Isn't this a free country?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

An example of an uninformed opinion...someone who later admitted they weren't familiar with Frank Ocean bitched and moaned that Brian was working with (and i quote)  'a hardcore gangsta rap thug'. Sigh.  Thats like saying Rod Stewart is like G.G. Allin beause they both have tattoos.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

An example of an uninformed opinion...someone who later admitted they weren't familiar with Frank Ocean bitched and moaned that Brian was working with (and i quote)  'a hardcore gangsta rap thug'. Sigh.  Thats like saying Rod Stewart is like G.G. Allin beause they both have tattoos.

A Brian collaboration w a hardcore gangsta thug would be something to see!!!!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Oddly i posted the above at the same time you posted your response! Meant to do ot as an edit.

What i mentioned above was not posted here  ,  but is an example of the mentality i was referring to. And of course you're entitled not to like her music. That's why i said in that post i wasnt referring to you. Hell, i'm not a fan of some artists that most people here like, but different strokes and all that. Hope i explained myself a bit better.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Oddly i posted the above at the same time you posted your response! Meant to do ot as an edit.

What i mentioned above was not posted here  ,  but is an example of the mentality i was referring to. And of course you're entitled not to like her music. That's why i said in that post i wasnt referring to you. Hell, i'm not a fan of some artists that most people here like, but different strokes and all that. Hope i explained myself a bit better.

Yeah, understood!

I happen to be a somewhat big fan of Lana Del Rey, but still, a Brian duet with her seems unnecessary. I kinda just wish he'd just sing everything. I'm sure it will be great when it comes out, but until then, we shall yabber.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I...can't picture her doing a duet. Wall of Brian backups with her lead and a string arrangement though would be ace.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

By the way...my daughter who just turned 7 today is a huge fan of Brian, and like me and my wife has a vast interest in all music. She often changes between satellite music stations, and listens to all eras. Anyway, i told her today that Brian is working with the dude from Fun, knowing she likes the song We Are Young. Seeing i was very skeptical of the idea, she actually spent a fair amount of time trying to convince me of why it'll work. Lol...apple dont fall too far from the tree! Anyway, she thinks itd be a good idea if Brian, Nate Reuss, and Al sang a cover of Strange Magic* because 'it sounds kind of like that really cool song that the Beach Boys did about the two roads passing by, and then the one who got sick sang all pretty at the end'. Took me a while to realize she was talking about All This is That
*Yes, the ELO song.

[halblaineisgood]

.

[KittyKat]

Quite a few of the people who criticized Brian's duet partners on his Facebook page were regulars, not people who joined to bash him. There was skepticism expressed on the Blueboard, as well, by regulars. So it's questionable that all people who have doubts are Brian haters or haters of Brian fans.  Fans of Brian want him to be himself, not possible steered into doing stuff like doing duets that were scheduled at the last minute, when there had already been a copious amount of recording done over a year's time, including tracks with Al and Blondie. People were looking forward to a follow up to TWGMR. It's turned into something different which may or may turn out fine, but some people want to hear Brian's voice. Not everyone wants him to turn into Phil Spector, anymore than they want him to relinquish leads in his shows. Why is that a bad thing? To me, that's more loyal to Brian than accepting something that Capitol records may have pressured him into doing. If it had been pitched as this project from the beginning, there would be fewer doubts. The fact that  it was done at the last moment and the album has such a long-range release date doesn't help.