Many Negative Reviews of No Pier Pressure...

[tansen]

If someone doesn't like some or all of the album, that's their prerogative, their right.  They don't need to justify it, and those of you who want to argue to the death about it come across as insecure in your assessment of the album.  I chuckle when I hear some of you talk about an "agenda".  Just because someone doesn't like the album?  Any use of Autotune didn't detract from my enjoyment of the album, though I feel it's brave of Brian to point out that it was used - pretty much all pop albums use it or overuse it as the case may be.
I've never heard anyone say anything truly malicious about Brian here or anywhere; he is loved and adored.  The perceived slights against Brian are blown way out of proportion here. And let me say for the record, I don't have a bias - Brian is my hero and I consider myself a Brianista - proudly so.  I just don't need to put everyone else down to justify it.

Scott

You know, it’s funny how Scott laid it out there with these statements that actually echoed the thoughts and posts of mine (and a couple of others) earlier in this thread. And those thoughts failed to be acknowledged until Scott came along and then it was somehow legitimized. The same ones who thanked Scott for coming by with his thoughts ignored what I had to say above about having a right to dislike a few songs on NPP without having to justify it. You still don't get it. There's NO Agenda or “people on a mission” to destroy NPP or Brian. That’s a bunch of crap! What the hell would that gain a poster here (other than a bad rep)? People go out on a limb here to post unpopular thoughts and get ridiculed for it. Then you call B.S. if someone doesn't justify their stance. You call B.S. about Ottotune. You call B.S. about the Joe Thomas naysayers. You call B.S. unless everyone gets on their knees and bows to Brian with only positive thoughts about NPP and everything and everybody else associated with it. And I also don’t see a conspiracy here to “put down Brian one notch on a pedestal” Just ain’t happenin’ here, ya know? We're all just a bunch of rabid, dedicated, passionate fans and that's it! But there's gotta be an effing conspiracy, right? Oswald acted alone - so much for your conspiracy theory! No shooter was on the grassy knoll or anywhere else except the TSBD building! Shock! But....but.......where's the evidence to support my findings??

Brianista Mike

I agree Mikie, it's just insane. I really don't understand what people would gain from being "anti-Brian Wilson" or whatever. Where's the reward? I'm sure there are trolls like on any other message board, but I bet 98% of the members of this board are true Beach Boys fans. And I think it's ridiculous that just because I have not given any specific examples on places on NPP where vocals have been tuned (which btw two other people have done further up the thread), that makes me one of the people with a so-called agenda, making up excuses and what not? Pfft. I have the right to choose how I spend my time. I've been a fan of Brian Wilson and the boys for about 20 years, having about 5-600 CDs/LPs, and now because I criticize something that in my opinion is a poor piece of art, I'm the bad guy. Nah, I think I've done my share of supporting Brian Wilson throughout the years, whether that's by buying records, seeing him live several times, in posting here or the Smile Shop board, the old blue board, in the Cabinessence chat, and so on, to be able to also post my opinion and critique when I think it's due.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

Craig, keep up the good work.  Your posts make sense to me, and I agree 100%.  I don't care if someone else likes or dislikes any album.  In the case of NPP, I know I like it, and that's all that matters to me.  And who else cares if I like it?  No one.  As it should be.  I have learned to ignore the posts of certain posters who constantly set off my B.S. radar.  Perhaps I should take a more active role here, and call out the B.S. when I see it, as you do so well.  But you just saw what happens when some of these people are challenged to defend their claims with facts or examples.  They don't have the time or they change their stories or they try to turn it around.  I can see right through it, and many others here can, as well.  This board has slowly changed over the years.  I'm not sure why there is so much negativity here these days.  But there is a lot of it, and it's growing tiresome.  I don't want to argue about who produced what, who wrote what, how much pitch correction was used, because I don't know.  And only a handful of people do know, and they don't post here much.  Thank goodness we have Ray and Debbie and a couple others who actually do know Brian come by here and give us their thoughts.         

The problem is, you have here a dedicated group that has made it their mission, their singular purpose, to paint Brian Wilson in a patently untrue light. It has ranged from suggesting he is manipulated in a multitude of ways, to insinuating that he can't sing, that he can't play his instrument, that he doesn't write his songs, that he is a husk of a man.

These things are seldom stated outright. So someone like Scott can come by and see, sure, there's no one saying outright horrible things about BW. So what's the problem? The problem is that through keeping up this line of preposterous suggestion, day in and day out, this same group of a half dozen posters manage to actually shape debate on this board to dealing with their nonsnsical concern-trolling.

Such nonsense used to be accepted. But now folks, including GF (most admirably) are calling them on it. Because we know better. The game is up, and they are losing. Sadly, it's at times like this that they can be the most dangerous.

Watch yourselves, kids.

Thank you LostArt and Wirestone for adding your voices and thoughts to this discussion. I appreciate very much reading your comments, and agree with what you are saying.

Thanks so much for addressing this issue so thoroughly and competently GF.  What you are doing takes a lot more patience than most of us have (if not all of us).  You also display more guts and willingness to endure the predictable but annoying responses, somehow without getting sucked into the mire.  We appreciate your efforts.

[Mike's Beard]

The problem is, you have here a dedicated group that has made it their mission, their singular purpose, to paint Brian Wilson in a patently untrue light. It has ranged from suggesting he is manipulated in a multitude of ways, to insinuating that he can't sing, that he can't play his instrument, that he doesn't write his songs, that he is a husk of a man.

These things are seldom stated outright. So someone like Scott can come by and see, sure, there's no one saying obviously horrible things about BW. So what's the problem? The problem is that through keeping up this line of preposterous suggestion, day in and day out, this same group of a half dozen posters manage to actually shape debate on this board to dealing with their nonsensical concern-trolling.

Such fictions used to be accepted. But now folks, including GF (most admirably) are calling them on it. Because we know better. The game is up, and they are losing. Sadly, it's at times like this that they can be the most dangerous.

Watch yourselves, kids

Hmmmmm, If I remember correctly, wasn't it you who first stated that Brian's words had been ghost written in the Billboard article? I notice that out of all Craig's laundry lists of issues you fail to mention that one.

[Peter Reum]

Just a quick note to address prescribed medications. Brian's current medication regimen is minimal, compared with the second Landy period. For people with mental health diagnoses, most of them are due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Prescribed medications bring the brain's biochemistry into balance. In this sense, medications for mental health condition function as a wheelchair does for someone with a mobility impairment, as orientation and mobility training does for someone with blindness, or as American Sign Language does for a personal with a bilateral hearing impairment. Brian is someone whose medication regimen is remarkably light for someone with his diagnosis.

[Mike's Beard]

Thanks so much for addressing this issue so thoroughly and competently GF.  What you are doing takes a lot more patience than most of us have (if not all of us).  You also display more guts and willingness to endure the predictable but annoying responses, somehow without getting sucked into the mire.  We appreciate your efforts.

Do you know what else is predictable but annoying? This

everytime your fingers hit the keyboard.

[Mikie]

Thanks so much for addressing this issue so thoroughly and competently GF.  What you are doing takes a lot more patience than most of us have (if not all of us).  You also display more guts and willingness to endure the predictable but annoying responses, somehow without getting sucked into the mire.  We appreciate your efforts.

Ah, yeah, I see. The good ol' polarizing and divisive "us against them" mentality.  

[Lowbacca]

Don't have the time to read this thread in its entirety right now, but I was somewhat surprised at its title - over the past 10 days I rather had the experience of reading mildly positive to ecstatic reviews everywhere. Online, print (newspapers, magazines) and radio. Maybe it's just my small island of the world, but from the media reports washing ashore here and direct human contact to people listening to the record I can honestly say: NPP is a success with most homo sapiens.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Thanks so much for addressing this issue so thoroughly and competently GF.  What you are doing takes a lot more patience than most of us have (if not all of us).  You also display more guts and willingness to endure the predictable but annoying responses, somehow without getting sucked into the mire.  We appreciate your efforts.

Do you know what else is predictable but annoying? This

everytime your fingers hit the keyboard.

Jesus. No need for that at all.

This whole thing is getting really old. Love and mercy, for fucks sake

[guitarfool2002]

Seriously, no need for that at all. Totally unnecessary to go there. So much for taking the topics and points made which are on the table. Now it's resorting to taking personal swipes.

Is this the board you want? I sure as hell don't.

To see these things after trying to lay out where I stand, trying to get into the topics at hand...look, I can take it and give it back if it gets personal, but this isn't welcome at all.

Can't address the topics at hand, so take a personal swipe instead? Nope. Not cool.

[Mike's Beard]

I did address a topic and you completely ignored it.

[guitarfool2002]

I did address a topic and you completely ignored it.

What topic? I'll address it. Can't catch everything. I still have more to say about the autotune claims, just haven't gotten around to posting it yet.

[Mike's Beard]

I mentioned the Tell Me Why having a few melody lines similar to Kokomo. Also (and I don't know why I'm sticking my balls in the meat grinder for saying this) Right Time features a fair bit of Robo Al in the verses. Not that I care as such, Right Time is one of the songs I really like off NPP, but you want examples of 'tuna or other pitch correction.

[18thofMay]

I mentioned the Tell Me Why having a few melody lines similar to Kokomo. Also (and I don't know why I'm sticking my balls in the meat grinder for saying this) Right Time features a fair bit of Robo Al in the verses. Not that I care as such, Right Time is one of the songs I really like off NPP, but you want examples of 'tuna or other pitch correction.

Which part?

[Gerry]

Are you really Mike's "Beard" ?

[Mike's Beard]

Nope but all the great names like Gerry were already spoken for.

[Gerry]

So which one are you? The spanker or the spankee?

[Mike's Beard]

I mentioned the Tell Me Why having a few melody lines similar to Kokomo. Also (and I don't know why I'm sticking my balls in the meat grinder for saying this) Right Time features a fair bit of Robo Al in the verses. Not that I care as such, Right Time is one of the songs I really like off NPP, but you want examples of 'tuna or other pitch correction.

Which part?

Kinda funny but mostly sad,
Kinda good but moslty bad,
I really miss that thing we had

Looking out to sea,
We'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy

It's small but it's there. You can easily sing one over the top of the other.

[Mike's Beard]

So which one are you? The spanker or the spankee?

I'm the guy filming it.

[18thofMay]

I mentioned the Tell Me Why having a few melody lines similar to Kokomo. Also (and I don't know why I'm sticking my balls in the meat grinder for saying this) Right Time features a fair bit of Robo Al in the verses. Not that I care as such, Right Time is one of the songs I really like off NPP, but you want examples of 'tuna or other pitch correction.

Which part?

Kinda funny but mostly sad,
Kinda good but moslty bad,
I really miss that thing we had

Looking out to sea,
We'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy

It's small but it's there. You can easily sing one over the top of the other.

You have to be joking

[Mike's Beard]

What a shocker, you disagree. 

[The Cincinnati Kid]

What a shocker, you disagree. 

Some folks just can't stand the thought of anything Brian did being related to Kokomo in any way.

[Mike's Beard]

It's not as if anyone is claiming one is a direct rewrite of the other, just that the opening 3 lines of both their verses are sung to a rather similar melody.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Haven't noticed...now i can't wait til I get home to check!

[18thofMay]

What a shocker, you disagree. 

Some folks just can't stand the thought of anything Brian did being related to Kokomo in any way.

I love Kokomo, that has nothing to do with it. I could not care if he re-recorded it and called it Brian's at the Beach.

[18thofMay]

I mentioned the Tell Me Why having a few melody lines similar to Kokomo. Also (and I don't know why I'm sticking my balls in the meat grinder for saying this) Right Time features a fair bit of Robo Al in the verses. Not that I care as such, Right Time is one of the songs I really like off NPP, but you want examples of 'tuna or other pitch correction.

Which part?

Kinda funny but mostly sad,
Kinda good but moslty bad,
I really miss that thing we had

Looking out to sea,
We'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy

It's small but it's there. You can easily sing one over the top of the other.

They are not even the words of the fucking song anyway, so if you want to raise an issue at least get the details right!!