*Merged* Brian Wilson current album thread

[Jonathan Blum]

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'

Probably because that rests on the premise that "Radio" was a bad album.  Which goes right back to the "music I like" bit.

no, it scared more people away.

False premise right there, I'd say.  Given that it charted higher than "Smile", the number of people scared away would have to be pretty minimal!  "Radio" clearly did more good than harm for Brian's career...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Mikie]

Fogerty just released a CD with various artists covering his songs.  It was successful.  Maybe that would work for Brian.

Wait. It's been done.

[Ron]

I realize it's probably the  record execs who ultimately decide this stuff, but seeing creative "artists" like John Fogerty doing the same old tired sh*t (an album of people doing his hits!  yay!) screams 'sell out'.  He's so great, stuff like that is so beneath him.

Everybody should be more like Prince.  in every way.  They should wear purple as a sign that they've finally got with it.  f*** I'd be happy if everybody was more like Beyonce, release a whole album with no promotion and a music video for every song.  That's creative. 

Fogerty should raise the price on the album to 50 bucks.  Hell at least THAT would be creative.  This sh*t has been done, literally THOUSANDS of times. 

More ways to be creative:

Record a cover album of all your hits, sung by 5 year olds

Release a Hanukkah album.

Release a Halloween album.

Make an album that's half songs about the horror of death at Treblinka and Auschwitz, and the other half is Nazi inspired march music.

Tap into the dirtbike market like Dennis tapped into the Surfer market. 

Do creative duets, like have Vanilla Ice sing backup or your high school music teacher playing piano. 

Record an album in your house with every room inspiring the song that was recorded in it.











You've got a legend like Fogerty who's been around for 50 years and the best he can think up is "Hey!  I could have young people sing my old songs!"

[Jim V.]

I realize it's probably the  record execs who ultimately decide this stuff, but seeing creative "artists" like John Fogerty doing the same old tired sh*t (an album of people doing his hits!  yay!) screams 'sell out'.  He's so great, stuff like that is so beneath him.

Unfortunately Ron, it seems like the public will eat this sh*t up. Case in point, look at the recent Lionel Richie album, Tuskegee, which was a duet album of country-style reworkings of his old hits. It got him a big hit album though, which he very likely wouldn't have had if he put out an album of brand new material solo. And I hate to say it, but same with Fogerty. That new album you're speaking of charted higher than anything he's done since Centerfield.

However, for Brian Wilson, I don't think an album like this would be a hit. First off, Brian's albums, outside of BWPS, don't sell much. Secondly, The Beach Boys tried something like this called Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 and it went all the way to number 101 on the charts. Although, and I don't wanna give Mike Love any ideas, if a reunited Beach Boys did a duets album of some classics and deep cuts these days, I bet it'd go top ten! And most importantly, even though this album seems like it might be a duets album, it seems to be previously unreleased songs. At least some of them. I do remember that the song with Blondie Chaplin was said to be "He Come Down" or something before that was "taken back" as not being true or whatever. But maybe it is. Maybe the album is partially previously unreleased songs and partially re-recorded duets or something? Who knows?

I would say, however that if the album is gonna be like GIOMH and be partially duets and partially unreleased older tunes, they should instead split the ideas into separate albums. One album of duets and then one album of "regular songs" (and stuff with Al and Blondie).

[Wirestone]

So where is it stated the album is recycled / old material / covers? Because I must have missed that if so.

As for the collective freakout here, I'm not sure what it's about. Before Imagination came out in 98, everyone went nuts because Beck was on it. Beck! (As in Hansen, not Jeff.) Turned out, it was Greg Leisz, the guitar player who had appeared on Beck albums.

This entire Lana del Ray business is based on one offhand comment in an interview that has been verified by no one other than the OP, and which I took at first to be simply a parody post.

When we see track listings, when we hear samples, that will be the time to make judgments. Because Brian, by my estimation, has put out consistently good material since 2008, if not before. That includes at least four studio albums. Two of those had a bunch of original songs on them that only BW could write (including one, FTTBA, that was a certifiable classic and newly penned). If the album is good, if the songs and productions and arrangements are cool, the guests won't matter. If those things are awful, the guests won't save it.

[Jim V.]

So where is it stated the album is recycled / old material / covers? Because I must have missed that if so.

As for the collective freakout here, I'm not sure what it's about. Before Imagination came out in 98, everyone went nuts because Beck was on it. Beck! (As in Hansen, not Jeff.) Turned out, it was Greg Leisz, the guitar player who had appeared on Beck albums.

This entire Lana del Ray business is based on one offhand comment in an interview that has been verified by no one other than the OP, and which I took at first to be simply a parody post.

When we see track listings, when we hear samples, that will be the time to make judgments. Because Brian, by my estimation, has put out consistently good material since 2008, if not before. That includes at least four studio albums. Two of those had a bunch of original songs on them that only BW could write (including one, FTTBA, that was a certifiable classic and newly penned). If the album is good, if the songs and productions and arrangements are cool, the guests won't matter. If those things are awful, the guests won't save it.

Hey Wirestone, I think you are one of the best and most sensible posters on the board, and despite my part in somewhat downplaying the album, I do still hope for it to be great.

However, it has been common knowledge around here for quite a bit that Brian apparently hasn't written a new song in a while and that apparently everything that's been worked up during is of some vintage (most likely the tapes/files that Joe Thomas was referring to when discussing how TWGMTR was made). However, it does some odd to me that there won't be any recently written material by Brian on the new album. I have to imagine that even if he hasn't necessarily written anything new from scratch, that he's worked up these older bits and pieces into something new that he likes.

Also, I personally doubt that there will be any re-recordings on the album. I mean, it's possible that maybe he might sneak one or two on (as he did with Imagination) but I don't think it's gonna be "Brian Wilson and some very special guests singing The Beach Boys classics" for what it's worth.

However, besides Al, Blondie and some of the instrumental players, I do have to wonder why there are so many people supposedly coming in for duets. We're all pretty aware that Brian doesn't listen to new music, so to have these people he doesn't know of coming into work with him is a bit disconcerting. At least in my opinion. I'd like to think that Brian is doing what he wants creatively, and when I see stuff like that random country chick in the studio a few months ago, or Lana Del Ray mentioned in a Rolling Stone article, I must admit I get somewhat nervous.

And lastly, I do agree that we do owe Brian the benefit of the doubt not only because of stuff from back in the day like the hits and Pet Sounds, but because of the work he's done within the past eight or so years. Based on "From There To Back Again" alone, which I agree is a certifiable classic, I'd say that he still has it. However, I do have to say that although he's done a lot of work recently, some of it truly will just amount to discography clutter, like the Disney album. It had some nice songs, but it was also, to me, an artist just putting out an album to put out an album.

[Andrew G. Doe]

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.

Think you'll find the reason for getting Thomas back on board was more mercenary than that.

[Quzi]

Didn't Brian "congratulate" Pharrell Williams for winning the grammy and then "like" his page on facebook? I wonder if that was a grab for another potential modern collab... holy sh*t, this may be Brian's Raditude.

[Jim V.]

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.

Think you'll find the reason for getting Thomas back on board was more mercenary than that.

Obviously I haven't a clue why Thomas was brought back, but I'm assuming it's because he has a large backlog of unreleased material recorded by Brian?

[Dudd]

Didn't Brian "congratulate" Pharrell Williams for winning the grammy and then "like" his page on facebook? I wonder if that was a grab for another potential modern collab... holy sh*t, this may be Brian's Raditude.

Well, to be honest, I would be totally fine with a Brian/Pharrell collab.
I think he did something similar with Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers too...  

[Jonathan Blum]

However, it has been common knowledge around here for quite a bit that Brian apparently hasn't written a new song in a while

I thought last time around it was common knowledge that the 50th tour had got him writing again.  Certainly the reports out of the Jardine / Beck sessions of things like "Metropolis" didn't sound like stuff from the vaults.  Have I lost track of this week's conclusion to jump to?

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Mike's Beard]

I'd never heard of this Lana Del Ray so I youtubed  a few of her songs and found that she's actually quite good. Being someone who hates modern music this was rather a suprise. Let's be thankful Melinda/Thomas aren't foisting the likes of Lady Gaga onto poor Brian.

[Mark H]

Daydream time, I'd love to see something like Rick Rubin's work with Neil Diamond on '12 Songs' happen.  A great producer working with Brian's recent/unreleased material and essentially doing a stripped back/Love You sound with it.  The label/deal makers/whoever decides what Brian does now would likely disagree with such an idea but the fans (!) would adore it.

I have everything crossed that the new album will be good.  However it does sound like another GIOMH may be on the cards.  Not in relation to the resulting quality perhaps but just the random collaborators vibe.

I'm still counting everything after TLOS as a bonus

[Sheriff John Stone]

Based on "From There To Back Again" alone, which I agree is a certifiable classic, I'd say that he still has it.

I need some memory refreshing. Did "From There To Back Again" originate from the 1997 Imagination sessions or was it written in 2011-12? I thought the only new BW composition on TWGMTR was "The Private Life Of Bill And Sue", of which the catchy chorus was written by Joe Thomas.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Didn't Brian "congratulate" Pharrell Williams for winning the grammy and then "like" his page on facebook? I wonder if that was a grab for another potential modern collab... holy sh*t, this may be Brian's Raditude.

I'm not really familiar with a lot of Pharrell's work but Get Lucky and Happy are definitely two of the better songs I've heard on the pop charts in recent years.

[Autotune]

Now, assuming the compositions on the new album date from the very late 90s (which we don't know-- apparently Brian keeps on writing new songs and reportedly had a creative burst during the C50)... What would be so sinful about it? It would still be an original album, no matter how old the compositions are.

[Moon Dawg]

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

  Don Was is in on this too?


   Lana Del Rey is good IMO.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Now, assuming the compositions on the new album date from the very late 90s (which we don't know-- apparently Brian keeps on writing new songs and reportedly had a creative burst during the C50)... What would be so sinful about it? It would still be an original album, no matter how old the compositions are.

Bruce Springsteen's latest album was all recycled material, he even re-recorded two already very well known songs of his (Ghost of Tom Joad and American Skin), he did nothing to hide this fact.  And I thought it was great.  And Bruce is still considered a rock god.  When Radiohead came out with In Rainbows, they included a song called Nude that was nearly a decade old at the time.  There was no criticism towards them.  Now, I'm not comparing Brian Wilson to Bruce Springsteen or Radiohead.  The three couldn't be more different from one another.  But I think because of Brian's mental condition, people tend to fixate on how he chooses to record older songs or recycle his unreleased material when some of the most popular artists do the same thing and get away with it.

[ToneBender631]

This is as hysterical as the thread about Love and Mercy set video leaking out...

No one has any idea how the recordings with Zooey or Lana will be used, nor have they heard them and here we are multiple pages in with the word "mess" being thrown around. The only mess I see is the people on this thread!

Maybe some of the material is being used for the film soundtrack as opposed to his solo record. Maybe it was just for backing harmony (a la Taylor Mills). Maybe it was great or maybe it was crap. Either way, calm down!

I don't know much about Lana Del Ray but do know enough about Zooey Deschanel to know she is a massive fan who was probably blown away to be working with BDW. She's done a lot just by being a fan to turn people onto the Beach Boys and that seems like something that most people here would appreciate. I respect her fandom enough to assume that whatever she did was decent enough.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

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'

Probably because that rests on the premise that "Radio" was a bad album.  Which goes right back to the "music I like" bit.

no, it scared more people away.

False premise right there, I'd say.  Given that it charted higher than "Smile", the number of people scared away would have to be pretty minimal!  "Radio" clearly did more good than harm for Brian's career...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

As quite a extremist on the subject of Brian doing music I like, let me chime in. If this offends anyone, I'd ask they actually read the post, and not just react to it.

Personally this is what I want from a Brian Wilson album. Brian is in complete control. We get songs that Brian wanted to write. Perhaps songs about eating steaks. Songs about wanting to touch young women's legs.

Brian is in complete control of arrangements. If it's all done on synths, fine.

Brian tosses off some out of tune vocals 'cos basically,  he can't be bothered.

Is this selfish of me. Completely.

Am I projecting onto Brian what I think Brian music should be. Absolutely. This projection is based on my favourite music by Brian. Where he's just been left to his own devices

Is this fantasy likely to happen. No. Even if it got to the stage of recording it, he'd most probably get bored halfway through and give up on it.

So here's the choice. Fantasy album which will never happen, or the third in the trilogy of (personal opinion disclaimer) useless Joe Thomas auto tuned drivel.

No contest.

'Cos basically, if Brian recorded himself taking a dump, using a micro-cassette dictaphone, I'd rather have that than 20 TWGMTR albums. Seriously. That monstrosity gave me an aural haemorrhage. I'd rather gouge out my own eardrums, or listen to Oasis, or something equally horrible than ever have to listen to that polished turd ever again

I'd rather have nothing.

As always, I'm happy for those who loved TWGMTR though. One fans Love You is another fans SIP and all that

[Dudd]

Well unfortunately, if ever there will be a period of time in which we get a sequence of Thomas-endorsed drivel, it looks as if it'll be now. Because of all the recent work the marketing department have been doing promoting Brian's name through fairly desperate means, and the fact he has a Hollywood biopic with B-list stars coming up, now especially is the time the producers would likely chicken out and make sure it's something fairly straightforward. They already wrecked TWGMTR, an album that evidently could have been a lot better. I still have high hopes because I liked Gershwin, TLOS, and 'What Love Can Do' a whole lot, but those works were very straightforward.

Something made entirely by Brian seems unlikely, obviously, because he doesn't seem 100% with it. I'm not sure if he ever could be these days, but I'd bet if they left him alone he'd probably come up with something, just something totally unreleasable. But hey, I too would cherish a recording of Brian taking a dump over the Joe Thomas productions anyday. I'm sure we all would. We're an odd bunch.

[Billf]

Guess they're holding up the album until Lady Gaga can fit a vocal session into her schedule.
This is very sad, the obvious search for bright, shiny objects to get attention.
Brian Wilson is a genius. Nothing more to prove.

[Jonathan Blum]

I'd rather have nothing.

Then don't buy it, and you're sorted.

Me, I'm more interested in good music, no matter who's responsible for it -- and Brian's last five or so albums qualify just fine, in my book.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[bgas]

The item from Rolling Stone: 

   

[Dudd]

Space-age bossa nova, you say.  

although who on earth is Frank Ocean