*Merged* Brian Wilson current album thread

[pixletwin]

Not a fan of "On a Holiday"?

On A Holiday has more in common with Gilbert and Sullivan than rap. I always felt like it was called "pirate rap" more as a joke than any serious attempt at labeling it any certain genre.

[southbay]

From where I stand this article can only have negative ramifications among certain pockets of the fanbase if the new BW album does not meet expectations.  It's now going to be compared to a lost opportunity to have The Beach Boys work with, shape and mold this same material that has now been placed in the hands of other collaborators.  I'm guessing people will either:

A) laud the songwriting but lament the missed opportunity to have the performances of the material carried out by The Beach Boys.
B) criticize the songwriting and lament the fact that The Beach Boys could've made lemonade out of lemons with this material.

I've decided I'm going to be in camp A)

[Larry Franz]

The more that's reported about this album, the less eager I am to hear it. For me anyway, it's inverse public relations.

[CenturyDeprived]

Frank Ocean rapped on "Special Love," though the track remains unfinished and may not make the album

BURN THIS TAPE.

+1

Or... release it as the B-side of a "Smart Girls" Record Store Day 2015 7-inch?
 

[KittyKat]

Brian himself really had planned to use all these guest artists all along, all the way back to last year (even though they seem to only have been recording the past few months)? He invited his "favorite artists," including a singer he had just some weeks ago referred to as Lana Something? He might know Zooey, but did he really know all of the rest of the artists, and they're all his "favorites"? Hm.

I also find it a little odd that he and his management are still talking about the reunion. Isn't Mike the only Beach Boys missing from this album(well, and Bruce, but he barely counts for much)? Brian still has Al Jardine, who is the biggest contributor in terms of making a Beach Boys type of sound on both harmonies and any leads he may take, plus Blondie to add the Carl soul vibe, and David on surf guitar and adding his early-record type harmonies. Al  still has a strong voice. Why is Brian talking about missing the Beach Boys, when he can only mean he misses Mike Love? And Mike's nasal leads and lounge singer-y vibe that many Brian Wilson fans detest so much.

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for. All the folks who say the Wilsons should have gotten rid of Mike some time in the mid-'60s or '70s and had an all-Wilson line-up have their dream come true. It's the Beach Boys, without Mike.

[Dudd]

A rap verse? Huh. I'd be surprised if that were Brian's idea given his hatred for the genre, but I'd also be appalled if this were another of Thomas' in keeping with pandering to the modern crowd.
Still, given the recent publicity surrounding Frank Ocean and the Beach Boys, I think he'd know not to ruin it. Or maybe the reporter just got it wrong.

[Mikie]

The more I read that article, the more I became frustrated that this isn't a Beach Boys album. What a travesty. I share Brian's sadness. He already had most, if not all, the songs written. All he needed was Mike's, Al's, Dave's, Bruce's, and Jeff's vocals and the album was in the can.

But really, who are the Beach Boys now, in 2014? Jeff's not a Beach Boy. Dave never added to the classic vocal blend, and Mike's current voice is nothing to get really excited about. Bruce adds some nice high parts, but they are not anything that several other singers can't do equally as well (Matt J). The huge missing element in the classic BB sound is Carl. Without Carl in the mix, I don't see this as a great loss that the current day "Beach Boys" are not singing on it. Al still has the vocal chops he had back in the day, so the fact that he is singing on it is a huge boost for BB authenticity. The other 2 guys..... they won't be missed.

Now for sentimental reasons, it would be nice for it to fall under the Beach Boys banner.

Agree on all counts. But all those guys mentioned above were on the last album and sounded pretty darn good. And I forgot Matt, who does a great job with the high parts. And Carl is greatly missed with his leads and harmony vocal blend, but he can't be brought back, so Foskett is probably as close to him as we're going to get. Mike's voice is definitely not what it use to be - he's lost a lot of vocal strength in recent years and seems to have on and off sinus/alergy issues. Dave can sing harmony. Al can still do leads and backgrounds. Bruce can still do both if he wants to.

Sentimentality aside, I think these guys can still do it, as reflected on the TGMTR album. Little auto-tune (cringe) and add some reverb, I think a Beach Boys album would still be better than the Brian Wilson Productions album that's coming out this Fall.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

The more I read that article, the more I became frustrated that this isn't a Beach Boys album. What a travesty. I share Brian's sadness. He already had most, if not all, the songs written. All he needed was Mike's, Al's, Dave's, Bruce's, and Jeff's vocals and the album was in the can.

...

Deja Vu.

[Mikie]

The more I read that article, the more I became frustrated that this isn't a Beach Boys album. What a travesty. I share Brian's sadness. He already had most, if not all, the songs written. All he needed was Mike's, Al's, Dave's, Bruce's, and Jeff's vocals and the album was in the can.

...

Deja Vu.

Yep. It's Deja Vu all over again.

[Lowbacca]

The more I read that article, the more I became frustrated that this isn't a Beach Boys album. What a travesty. I share Brian's sadness. He already had most, if not all, the songs written. All he needed was Mike's, Al's, Dave's, Bruce's, and Jeff's vocals and the album was in the can.

...

Deja Vu.

Yep. It's Deja Vu all over again.

Déjà déjà vu?

[JohnMill]

The more I read that article, the more I became frustrated that this isn't a Beach Boys album. What a travesty. I share Brian's sadness. He already had most, if not all, the songs written. All he needed was Mike's, Al's, Dave's, Bruce's, and Jeff's vocals and the album was in the can.

But really, who are the Beach Boys now, in 2014? Jeff's not a Beach Boy. Dave never added to the classic vocal blend, and Mike's current voice is nothing to get really excited about. Bruce adds some nice high parts, but they are not anything that several other singers can't do equally as well (Matt J). The huge missing element in the classic BB sound is Carl. Without Carl in the mix, I don't see this as a great loss that the current day "Beach Boys" are not singing on it. Al still has the vocal chops he had back in the day, so the fact that he is singing on it is a huge boost for BB authenticity. The other 2 guys..... they won't be missed.

Eh they are still The Beach Boys.  You get Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and their various helpers in a room together around a microphone and magic happens.  I can't really explain it except to echo Ringo Starr's comments about "The Threetles" reunion sessions from 1995 when he heard Paul McCartney and George Harrison singing together for the first time in decades: "It sounds just like The Beatles!"

So yeah Mike Love and Bruce Johnston will easily be missed here.  Mike Love still has the ability to add that amazing bass and his vocal style is uniquely his.  When you combine the Lovester with Brian, you get a certain blend that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world of music.  Screw it if they are both in their seventies now...I would say the vast majority of material on TWGMTR is better than anything I've heard out of any other band in the past ten years.  Not by a mile, mind you but still better.  That being said I add my voice to the chorus that says at least BW didn't scrap this lot of songs when the C50 fell apart.

[EgoHanger1966]

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for.

Meh. If it was a Mike Love solo album with contributions by Kacey Musgraves, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, the Fun period guy, and Zooey Deschanel, everyone would be bagging on him. If Brian does has these people on his album, it's "creative" and "different".

[JohnMill]

Brian himself really had planned to use all these guest artists all along, all the way back to last year (even though they seem to only have been recording the past few months)? He invited his "favorite artists," including a singer he had just some weeks ago referred to as Lana Something? He might know Zooey, but did he really know all of the rest of the artists, and they're all his "favorites"? Hm.

I also find it a little odd that he and his management are still talking about the reunion. Isn't Mike the only Beach Boys missing from this album(well, and Bruce, but he barely counts for much)? Brian still has Al Jardine, who is the biggest contributor in terms of making a Beach Boys type of sound on both harmonies and any leads he may take, plus Blondie to add the Carl soul vibe, and David on surf guitar and adding his early-record type harmonies. Al  still has a strong voice. Why is Brian talking about missing the Beach Boys, when he can only mean he misses Mike Love? And Mike's nasal leads and lounge singer-y vibe that many Brian Wilson fans detest so much.

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for. All the folks who say the Wilsons should have gotten rid of Mike some time in the mid-'60s or '70s and had an all-Wilson line-up have their dream come true. It's the Beach Boys, without Mike.

The thing about Bruce Johnston is that he has proven in the past that when he wants to sit down and write a damn good song...he can write a damn good song.  So personally I never write off Bruce.  Saw him on the C50 and the guy can still sing his ass off from where I stand.

I'm not a Mike Love hater but you bring up a good point.  If this album is a success for Wilson (and of course how we each individually or collectively define "success" is subjective) then I think it reflects really badly on Mike Love or at least that is how it will be viewed by many.  I wouldn't expect Love to cry any buckets though as he does his own thing and is quite successful doing it.  But it just seems like the words "missed opportunity(ies)" follows this band around like a bad ex who won't stop ringing your line.  This RS article clearly indicates that this new BW album is the latest in a long line of missed opportunities for The Beach Boys.  I too find it odd that the reunion keeps being brought up especially since we've seen no intent on either side of the fence to make concessions so that they are able to at least contemplate working together in the future.  Until that happens, this just sounds like a whole lot of finger pointing by various parties at other various parties and with intent behind it no doubt.

[Wirestone]

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for.

Meh. If it was a Mike Love solo album with contributions by Kacey Musgraves, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, the Fun period guy, and Zooey Deschanel, everyone would be bagging on him. If Brian does has these people on his album, it's "creative" and "different".

Actually, on this board it would be praised to high heaven.

[JohnMill]

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for.

Meh. If it was a Mike Love solo album with contributions by Kacey Musgraves, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, the Fun period guy, and Zooey Deschanel, everyone would be bagging on him. If Brian does has these people on his album, it's "creative" and "different".

With all due respect and not to sound glib but have you been following this thread?  Brian Wilson had strips torn off him on these forums the minute some of these guest musicians were announced.  The negative attitude towards the project spread to Wilson's facebook page which necessitated a response from Brian Wilson himself (which again is a debatable issue for some fans) expressing his disappointment that so many of his fans were down on his creative vision for his new album.  

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Frank Ocean rapped on "Special Love," though the track remains unfinished and may not make the album

BURN THIS TAPE.

Or in this case it may well be "delete these files!"

A rap interlude would indeed take the pandoring to modern music buyers to a new level.

Not a fan of "On a Holiday"?

That's more Carnival Barker than TuPac.

[Amy B.]

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for.

Meh. If it was a Mike Love solo album with contributions by Kacey Musgraves, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, the Fun period guy, and Zooey Deschanel, everyone would be bagging on him. If Brian does has these people on his album, it's "creative" and "different".

Actually, on this board it would be praised to high heaven.

I agree. If Mike did ANYTHING new, it would be praised because it's so rare.

[KittyKat]

This IS the Beach Boy album the Mike Love haters have been waiting for.

Meh. If it was a Mike Love solo album with contributions by Kacey Musgraves, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, the Fun period guy, and Zooey Deschanel, everyone would be bagging on him. If Brian does has these people on his album, it's "creative" and "different".

Actually, on this board it would be praised to high heaven.

Oh, yeah, this is the Mike Love fan board. 

[Mikie]

Bruce is done as a songwriter. Last thing he did was a couple of tracks on Doris' album and those were marginal. He sings well on a good day. Reference the recent BB Concert CD for an off day. Otherwise, he's still good for incessantly adjusting his mic and smiling and clapping his hands and jumping across the stage at inopportune moments.

[HeyJude]

Bruce is done as a songwriter. Last thing he did was a couple of tracks on Doris' album and those were marginal. He sings well on a good day. Reference the recent BB Concert CD for an off day. Otherwise, he's still good for incessantly adjusting his mic and smiling and clapping his hands and jumping across the stage at inopportune moments.

Also worth noting is that his sole known writing contribution to the TWGMTR sessions, left on the cutting room floor, was a remake of his own song from 1985 which bombed as a single back then.

I'm sure there's some writing talent still there. He could maybe be good at polishing a Brian song or something. But none of these guys are terribly prolific at this stage except Brian, who both writes AND releases material at a decent clip.

Think about it; the next most prolific member (Dave possibly excepted) in terms of releasing an actual full album in the last couple decades is Al!

I think Al is prolific enough to do another album, he just takes too long deciding and finishing.

[bossaroo]

the fact is, Mike Love somehow has the power to include Brian (and Al) in The Beach Boys and he chooses NOT to. he prefers John Stamos.

of course it's going to "keep coming up" in articles about Brian Wilson.

[Sheriff John Stone]

"I was writing for the Boys, so I thought, 'What am I gonna do without them?'" Um, the same thing you've been doing for the last 25 years? Sorry to spring this on you Brian, but Dennis died over 30 years ago and hadn't sung on a Beach Boys' album for 5 years prior to that. Carl sadly passed away 16 years ago. David Marks is available and you already got Al and Matt Jardine. I guess that leaves Bruce and Mike. Bruce is the one who had zero lead vocals on That's Why God Made The Radio with the exception of a few lines. I guess that leaves your cousin Mike. But not having him hasn't stopped you from releasing live albums of Beach Boys' songs, cover albums that resemble Beach Boys' albums, studio albums that sound more like Beach Boys' albums than solo albums, and numerous re-recordings of old Beach Boys' songs. If you're talking about the harmonies, may I remind you of your pronouncements that YOUR BAND was better than The Beach Boys, and that you had no desire to work with The Beach Boys again. Now I can hear the whining posters saying, "But he changed his mind. He changed his mind...". Yeah, right.

"He invited some of his favorite young singers to Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, including Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves, and Zooey Deschanel. Frank Ocean rapped on "Special Love"....a track with Nate Ruess from fun was more successful" Brian invited them? His favorite singers? Frank Ocean rapped? What a croc. It insults my intelligence and it makes me very angry.

[Lowbacca]

"I was writing for the Boys, so I thought, 'What am I gonna do without them?'" Um, the same thing you've been doing for the last 25 years? Sorry to spring this on you Brian, but Dennis died over 30 years ago and hadn't sung on a Beach Boys' album for 5 years prior to that. Carl sadly passed away 16 years ago. David Marks is available and you already got Al and Matt Jardine. I guess that leaves Bruce and Mike. Bruce is the one who had zero lead vocals on That's Why God Made The Radio with the exception of a few lines. I guess that leaves your cousin Mike. But not having him hasn't stopped you from releasing live albums of Beach Boys' songs, cover albums that resemble Beach Boys' albums, studio albums that sound more like Beach Boys' albums than solo albums, and numerous re-recordings of old Beach Boys' songs. If you're talking about the harmonies, may I remind you of your pronouncements that YOUR BAND was better than The Beach Boys, and that you had no desire to work with The Beach Boys again. Now I can hear the whining posters saying, "But he changed his mind. He changed his mind...". Yeah, right.

"He invited some of his favorite young singers to Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, including Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves, and Zooey Deschanel. Frank Ocean rapped on "Special Love"....a track with Nate Ruess from fun was more successful" Brian invited them? His favorite singers? Frank Ocean rapped? What a croc. It insults my intelligence and it makes me very angry.

It's a promotional piece.......

[puni puni]

All he needed was Mike's, Al's, Dave's, Bruce's, and Jeff's vocals and the album was in the can.

To be more specific, what he needed was a trademarked commodity like The Beach Boys™, so instead he got Lana Del Ray™, Zooey Deschanel™, Frank Ocean™...

[KittyKat]

"I was writing for the Boys, so I thought, 'What am I gonna do without them?'" Um, the same thing you've been doing for the last 25 years? Sorry to spring this on you Brian, but Dennis died over 30 years ago and hadn't sung on a Beach Boys' album for 5 years prior to that. Carl sadly passed away 16 years ago. David Marks is available and you already got Al and Matt Jardine. I guess that leaves Bruce and Mike. Bruce is the one who had zero lead vocals on That's Why God Made The Radio with the exception of a few lines. I guess that leaves your cousin Mike. But not having him hasn't stopped you from releasing live albums of Beach Boys' songs, cover albums that resemble Beach Boys' albums, studio albums that sound more like Beach Boys' albums than solo albums, and numerous re-recordings of old Beach Boys' songs. If you're talking about the harmonies, may I remind you of your pronouncements that YOUR BAND was better than The Beach Boys, and that you had no desire to work with The Beach Boys again. Now I can hear the whining posters saying, "But he changed his mind. He changed his mind...". Yeah, right.

"He invited some of his favorite young singers to Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, including Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves, and Zooey Deschanel. Frank Ocean rapped on "Special Love"....a track with Nate Ruess from fun was more successful" Brian invited them? His favorite singers? Frank Ocean rapped? What a croc. It insults my intelligence and it makes me very angry.

It's a promotional piece.......

Shouldn't it have the word "advertising" inserted in it, as PR pieces once were in news venues?   This isn't just talking about the album in a positive way, it's re-writing its history, for those who have been following along. It's not doing Brian any favors, either, to put words in his mouth. He didn't know most of these artists. Somebody or other decided to introduce them to him and to have him work with them. Being honest about that is less of a negative than lying about it. I'm sure Tony Bennett had to be told about some of the people he did duets with, too.