beachboycentral.com News

[Jason]

From Beach Boys Britain, typos intact.

From the B104 FM Clasic Rock website
http://www.b104fm.com/rock_report.htm

OFFICIAL BEACH BOYS RARITIES SITE MAY BE UP AND RUNNING BY NEXT MONTH

The Beach Boys' new official beachboyscentral.com website featuring previously unreleased material, may be up and running as early as July 4th. The group's chief archivist Alan Boyd posted on the unofficial smileysmile.net fan message board that he's currently putting the finishing touches on the site. Although he didn't go into details, he did mention that the group's unreleased material would be available both as digital downloads and as CD's.


Boyd has been cataloging and cross referencing the group's extensive inventory for the past several years. He's listened to almost every one of the group's multi-track master tapes and home demos. There's still no word as to what exactly will be uploaded on the site, although the group has amassed several hundred outtakes in their 45 year career.

[humanoidboogie]

beachboyscentral.com could (and hopefully will) be the best thing since sliced bread. My credit card is ready!

[Emdeeh]

Credit card -- what's that?? I sure hope they'll take checks or money orders!

[Bicyclerider]

hopefully they'll take paypal.

[Aegir]

Even though I'm an adult, I have a controlling mother who will not allow me to have a credit card, so I hope they accept money orders.

Or, you know, let all the tracks be downloaded for free.

[c-man]

Even though I'm an adult, I have a controlling mother who will not allow me to have a credit card, so I hope they accept money orders.

Or, you know, let all the tracks be downloaded for free.

Utopia is still just a dream...

[Jason]

Or, you know, let all the tracks be downloaded for free.

That made me smile.

[doc smiley]

    Paypal would be a nice option.. hopefully  Alan will look into that...
maybe this site will let some of Dennis's unreleased see the light of day... wow
getting excited about that already!

 

[Pretty Funky]

What is it with this site?

Its been COMING SOON since June.

All signed up and waiting just for the final ok from Dennis and Carl maybe?

[Shady]

What is it with this site?

Its been COMING SOON since June.

All signed up and waiting just for the final ok from Dennis and Carl maybe?

Cheeky 

[SG7]

Get ready for all the thousand hours unedited sessions of Ding Dang folks!!
Sure to be a blast!!

 

[Jardine Power!]

I feel like I've been checking that site daily for 6 months. I hate to sound impatient but what's going on?!

[Ken.W]

I feel like I've been checking that site daily for 6 months. I hate to sound impatient but what's going on?!

I'm with you.

.. what's the hold up? .. or do I need to make an imaginative guess (not).

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I think there is a lot involved here.   Just tracking down all this stuff, cataloging and archiving is a huge job! And that is just for starters.

First, I imagine all the band members have to agree about what tracks will be available.  For example, don't expect too many unreleased Smile tracks.  Brian may veto them for ‘his own reasons’, while other members may see a bigger profit looming with a future Smile boxset.  There may be tracks that one band member just hates, or finds embarrassing, and that one gets vetoed.
Also, there are the issues of songwriting royalties, publishing, performance royalties (I know little of these kind of legalities except that there is a lot of red tape involved).

Secondly, master tapes need to be tracked down.  A mixed dub in the library will be inferior to a new mix of the master tape.  Or simply, there are sessions in the can that were never mixed at all.

Third, high quality MP3s need to be made of the songs.  Also, if album versions of these tracks are going to be available as well, then there is all ‘that’ to deal with (Mastering, art wok, what goes on what cd)

Fourth, creating an online store that works well, maintains copyright protection and prevents illegal downloading and trading of these tracks is no easy task.

Frankly, I am surprised that it is moving as fast as it is.  This is a groundbreaking move, as I know of no other major band that has ever done this kind of thing.  The Stones, Beatles, the Who - nobody else has pulled off anything like this.

Bravo Alan Boyd!

[punkinhead]

ah, it'd be great to hear what their doin once in a while   

[The Shift]

This is a groundbreaking move, as I know of no other major band that has ever done this kind of thing.  The Stones, Beatles, the Who - nobody else has pulled off anything like this.

www.thewhostore.com (courtesy of Eel Pie
www.thedoors.com  (seems to be undergoing a revamp... try here: http://www.rhinohandmade.com/Browse/browsedoors.lasso)
www.neilyoung.com/archives/fillmore-east/fillmore-east.html

Can anybody add any others to the list?

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Hey Wee Helper, have you actually gone to these sites and looked at what's there?  There is no comparison to these and what  beachboyscentral.com is looking to do.  The closest would be "the Beatles Anthology", but an online version.  Neil Young has talked about this for years, but strickly as CD/DVD releases

[digger]

Third, high quality MP3s need to be made of the songs.  Also, if album versions of these tracks are going to be available as well, then there is all ‘that’ to deal with (Mastering, art wok, what goes on what cd)

This phase (MP3s) can be skipped without any loss, who would want them anyway.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I personally would. 

[Jason Penick]

Personally, I'd take mp3s over nothing any day of the week.  I just wish they'd hurry up with it as I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, although this is Beach Boys World we're talking about.

As for copy protection, I hate to say it but good luck with that.

[The Shift]

Hi SRH

I have indeed been to those sites but must be at a disadvantage as I guess I’ve missed any posts in which Alan’s stated just what’s going to be available at Central.

My point was simply that the BBs aren’t the first group to have such a facility on line.

The main site I guess that most closely embodies the point I’m trying to make is that of The Doors, which has been releasing a slow but steady stream of archive live recordings for years, on CD.

I was hoping BBs-Central.com would also be releasing its material on CD (or DVD, DVD-A…) –  I don’t really want a bunch of ephemeral downloads; I’m a collector and want something tangible to drool over!

But so far, anyway, BBs-Central.com hasn’t released anything and while I fully appreciate it’s something that won’t happen overnight, that is, currently, the BIG difference between those sites.

[Pretty Funky]

From a link on this site to a South Bend Tribune Mike Love interview yesterday. A reference was made to why Alan Boyd is having trouble setting up Central (see bottom of page)


...A soft-spoken and congenial man in conversation with a warm voice that displays none of the nasality for which he's known as a singer, Love becomes a little testy, however, when asked about whether he, The Beach Boys' corporation or the band's original label, Capitol Records, has considered releasing material that remains unreleased.

"There's a reason things are unreleased, because you felt what you came up with was better than what was in vault, so all this scavenging to me is a little bit desperate, desperation from a record company," he says and then softens his response a little. "Once in a while, you find something that could be redone, worked up a little."...

[Daniel S.]

What's that mean? He doens't want their concerts being released?!?

And why would he be against the record company releasing songs out of the vault? I thought Mike Love was the uber-capitalist who's all about business. He, and the rest of the band, will make money selling compilations that the fans want to hear. More product to sell, more money. He almost sounds like Brian, there.

What does he want to do? Keep rehashing the same greatest hits compilations? How about a 30th anniversary of Endless Summer Deluxe CD/DVD package. That'd be really bitchin!

Also, the tours and concert stage was always his domain. You'd think he'd be proud to show what he and the band did without Brian. Keeping the name alive and all.

[PMcC]

I see his point. Things are in the vault for a reason. That's why God made bootlegs. To release these for public consumption disturbs the official catalog, and makes the artist feel that the prime work isn't available, or all that is being represented. It's a bigger issue than money, or keeping the name alive.

[Jonas]

Things are in the vault for a reason.

Jealously, obnoxiousness, and plain ol stupidity are part of your list? Remember, some of these tracks didnt make it because they didnt make the 'vote'...and were shot down to go with more conventional tracks.