*Merged* Brian Wilson current album thread

[GhostyTMRS]

Oh well..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE6wxDqdOV0

[urbanite]

Zooey Deschanel is super good looking.

[The Shift]

You're assuming Jeff beck is off the project, I see (fwiw, I concur): pro or con ?

For me the two biggest cons are Thomas being even in the same county, never mind the control room, and the (apparent) lack of new material. Unless I missed something, the last concentrated batch of new material from Brian was composed in summer 2006: TLOS.

Joe Thomas has at least contributed positively, during C50's bringing together of the band in a workable environment, and one in which BW seems comfortable. While we might not like his production style and drenching of recordings in auto tune etc, TWGMTR is a reality most of us appreciated.

He just needs to restrict himself to roles he's good at, and no more.

Make him fixer, get Paley in as co-producer, Paley, Bacharach and maybe Scotty B. as co-writers (VDP seems estranged), and the rest of the gang (BBs) as lead and backing vocalists.

Perhaps.

[urbanite]

I'm encouraged that Don Was has been a part of it. 

[GhostyTMRS]

My new album is very mellow but the next one we make is gonna be a rock 'n' roll album. I guarantee it.

When is the new record out? I don't know. I've been booked in and out of studios for half a year now. We're been working on my album for a very long time. We have a few guest artists. There's one girl - Lana...something." Lana Del Ray?  "That's her. She did a wonderful job on the song". What's the title of the song she sings on? "I don't remember the title, you know that, I don't remember the title, I just know she sang her ass off, she was so good."

He's been mentioning this rock 'n' roll album since 1998 (maybe earlier). I know it's par for the course at this point, but the fact that Brian couldn't remember the name of the song or even the name of his duet partner....
All of Brian's solo albums suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome but this one's shaping up to be a doozy. I'm still looking forward to it because I know Brian will be in there...somewhere.     

[Gohi]

They're throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. This is gearing up to be a mess.
I was optimistic when photos first started coming out but now I'm not so sure.

[KittyKat]

Is it definitive he's recycling entirely old material?

The Zooey duet makes me think of her duet with Buddy in "Elf." Brian has a childlike quality and Zooey has a childlike quality. It could work, even though I'm not a big fan of hers. The others, though? Not a fan of Lana. She seems like she's recycles the shtick of other pop chanteuses, minus the soul. Though she's more bearable to listen to on a recording then seeing her doing her thing on TV.

[Les P]

“I’ve had it with collaborators. I still work sometimes with Scott Bennett – he writes lyrics – but he’s the only one I work with. I don’t really know who would want to work with me at this stage. Young people? People my own age? I don’t know. I’d be very interested if someone approached me. I’m open to that...

I'm surprised that this hasn't generated comment here, considering who his primary collaborator has been for over 2 years...  Just another random Brian comment?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian should  work with Brian Eno...

[puni puni]

if this album turns out to be anything other than yet another misguided, mislead, misdirected, autotuned mistake for apologetic fans and the ever decreasing minority of young adults who can bear the cringe factor permeating the last 35 years of new beach boys-related material, ill eat my hat

I'll buy a bottle of really good white wine to go with that hat if you tell us which Brian Wilson albums of recent years are autotuned mistakes as you suggest. Gershwin? TLOS?

i did a quick relisten of both those albums a while ago and couldn't believe that there was actually autotune on Gershwin! granted it was much more subtle than TWGMTR. but yeah, TWGMTR is bar none a huge squander. i still can't believe the 'Eye of the Tiger' guy contributed to its title track. nor that brian had absolutely no say on the final track list.

Why are people so concerned that the "kids" like Brian's new music? He's 70+ years old now. Lots of popular artists are name-checking him/Pet Sounds as an influence, but that doesn't mean his current work will appeal to the hit-making demographic, anymore.  I like "That Lucky Old Sun" and Gershwin and "That's Why God Made the Radio" on their own terms: Songs from Brian at this stage of life for his fans and contemporaries.

it's not so much the 'kids' as it is 'the outside world', and it's not so much that they dislike him, but demerit him. sure, we know there's good and inspiring stuff on TWGMTR, but how will anybody else know in 20 years?

we know that brian has been unplugged from music for decades, and is ignorant to everything that's happened since 'What a Fool Believes'. he's said in interviews that he's open to collaborating with anybody who approaches him. we know that pretty much everybody in the 'music with longevity' world would jump at the opportunity to work with him. so why is he working with top 40 shills? whose idea was it? hopefully this will come a bit more clear, and it won't end up being another 'well, my wife melinda and collaborator joe thomas thought the marketing might guarantee me a #1 album! good plan huh?'

[Sheriff John Stone]

appak, I'm enjoying your posts. Your opinions appear to be in touch with reality. Keep writing!

[Shady]

Lana del ray is on Brian's album , wow

This is getting bizzare

[SloopJohnnyB]

New Brian Wilson album? Beach Boys? Enjoy these times...........

[Jonathan Blum]

Maybe it's just me, but I think Brian/BBs have released some great music in recent years. A good portion of TWGMTR was terrific, and I don't think much of Brian's recent albums has been cringe-worthy.

It's not just you.  It's just that a few people got stuck at GIOMH ten years ago, and keep carrying on like everyone and their brother obviously agrees with them.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[KittyKat]

Brian is responsible for bringing Joe Thomas back.  Melinda sued to get rid of him and having put herself through that, I can't see wanting a repeat.  If Brian doesn't like what Joe is doing, he must be sucking it up in hopes he'll get another minor hit like "Imagination," which gets played on store Musak years later.

[Mikie]

Lana Del Rey who?

If this is a duets album, I won't buy it.  Probably won't even listen to it.

Guess we'll never see that Rock & Roll album Brian promised us years ago....

[Jonathan Blum]

it's not so much the 'kids' as it is 'the outside world', and it's not so much that they dislike him, but demerit him. sure, we know there's good and inspiring stuff on TWGMTR, but how will anybody else know in 20 years?

And there we have the nub of the gist.  How dare Brian try to make an album for "the outside world" when he should be making them for us?  Why should he try to reach people now when all that matters is what people think in 20 years -- which again, really means us, since obsessives like us are the only ones who really bother to review albums twenty years on?

This is one of the big mistakes fans make -- not just Beach Boys fans, but fans of everything:  the appeal to the judgements of posterity as if that's all that matters.  When in fact the only way people will have an opinion on an album in twenty years is if they buy the damn thing in the first place, and listen to it now.  (Which, thanks to Brian coming off of a #3 album with his band, there actually is a better-than-normal chance of more people than normal doing at the moment.)  And if the combination of a biopic and Lana del Rey will get them to buy it, there's no shame in that.

Or rather, the only shame is if the song isn't good.  But after Brian's five-album hot streak in the past ten years, I think they've got a pretty good chance of managing that.

You moan about Brian recording a song which came out of a session with Jim Peterik?  Well, if that single convinced people to buy the album and thus discover "Summer's Gone" -- it's a win, in my book.

so why is he working with top 40 shills? whose idea was it?

Again -- I don't care, if the song is good.  Was it someone else's idea to remount Smile?  To take the Royal Festival Hall commission?  To tack on a Gershwin deal to the Disney one?  Are these all ideas that a depressive homebody wouldn't have come up with on his own, and he'd need some encouragement to seize the opportunity?  No problem -- they're still good ideas.  Fundamentally I don't have a problem with Brian employing people to be more savvy than he is!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Jonathan Blum]

at least with BW88, you can tell people 'look, this is smile as '80s power pop' and that will ease their apprehension knowing that they're getting into one of those, where a '60s relic makes '80s pop tunes with a DX7. how would you recommend this new album based on what we now know for sure? 'a centennial hasbeen of groundbreaking pop art duets with ephemeral top 40 pop hacks'?

I'd say "shut up and listen before you judge it".

Though "'60s relic works with a bunch of younger artists who've been influenced by him" has worked for everything from Sinatra's "Duets" to "Genius Loves Company"...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Dudd]

Hey, the songs might be nice.

[Ron]

I wonder if when Sinatra did "Duets" if he was aware of who most of the people he sang with, were? 

i'm just trying to decide if this is REALLY FUCKING WEIRD or just something legends do.

When something like this looks so strange (Why in the hell would he record a song with Lana if he can't even remember her name? Ridiculous)... when something looks this strange, and I can't figure out why, I just remind myself that they all live in Hollywood.  Maybe this is how people do sh*t in Hollywood.

[Jonathan Blum]

Lana Del Rey who?

I really wish people wouldn't act like their ignorance of a successful artist reflects on the artist rather than them...  :-/

I'm not particularly a fan of her, but she's a really interesting choice for Brian to collaborate with (even if it was someone else's idea).  She's described her style as "Hollywood sadcore" -- big, sweeping, old-movie influenced, but with some modern production.  (She cites Nancy Sinatra as a major influence.  Also David Lynch -- she covered "Blue Velvet".)  The tracks of hers I first really noticed were "Young and Beautiful" on the "Great Gatsby" soundtrack, and her moody take on "Once Upon A Dream" in the "Maleficent" trailer.

Her hit singles were of course massively remixed to make them way less interesting.  But if someone on Brian's team thought a singer known for a melancholy take on the California dream would be a good match for one of Brian's songs... to me that suggests we could be getting some interesting songs on this one!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[puni puni]

And there we have the nub of the gist.  How dare Brian try to make an album for "the outside world" when he should be making them for us?  Why should he try to reach people now when all that matters is what people think in 20 years -- which again, really means us, since obsessives like us are the only ones who really bother to review albums twenty years on?

you misinterpreted my point as 'why doesnt brian make music i like' rather than 'why were the things that made this album bad were in the end so trite and easily preventable' or 'why isnt brian (or whoever may be advising brian) making better decisions than he could be'

Well, if that single convinced people to buy the album and thus discover "Summer's Gone" -- it's a win, in my book.

no, it scared more people away. which is sad, because it almost didn't. that's my beef.

ultimately i guess it doesn't matter whose idea it was for these things. if it was BDW's decision to put on autotune, then the blame would be on him, wouldn't it? and what would that mean? nothing, because either way, the joke's on me for not being able to enjoy the music he created because of a single bad decision.

one thing i've learned from TWGMTR is that i shouldn't set my expectations low, i should set them at 'almost'. i'm expecting it to be another fantastic brian wilson album with either bad production (by precedence of joe thomas) or bad vocals (by precedence of deschanel/del ray)

[alf wiedersehen]

Lana Del Ray's annoying. She's basically all 'style' and not a whole lot of substance.
She's also one of those people who decides to lazily mumble her songs instead of actually singing, probably under the guise of being "cool" and a "seductress."

I don't know how she would fit in at all.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Lana Del Ray's annoying.

I don't know how she would fit in at all.

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[alf wiedersehen]

Lana Del Ray's annoying.

I don't know how she would fit in at all.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

That's my guess, too. Same with Zooey.