2016 Wish List

[Eric Aniversario]

Veteran fans and new fans alike:

What would you like to see happen this year in the world of the Beach Boys?

As unlikely as it may seem, I'd love for there to be a few full reunion shows in honor of the 50th anniversary of either Pet Sounds or Good Vibrations. Especially if there's a show or two in Southern California!

Also, I'd love to see new solo releases from David, Mike, Al, and Brian!

More BB archival releases as well!

It would be cool if Mike/Bruce added "Keepin The Summer Alive", "It's About Time", and "California Saga" to the setlist!

It would be cool if Brian/Al/Blondie added "Funky Pretty", "You Need A Mess Of Help to Stand Alone", and more Brian solo tracks to the setlist!

And continued health for all involved in the BB/BW world.



What's on your wish list?

[Jukka]

Don't die.

Record a new album, with David and Al handling guitar duties.

Spread love and sunshine to a whole new generation.

[AndrewHickey]

Assuming no reunion:
A Brian/Al/Blondie UK tour, with the kind of setlists that Brian used to do in 2002.
A Mike/Bruce/David UK tour, with the kind of setlist they did last year (maybe Pet Sounds or GV themed).
A new Brian/Al album, with Brian's band rather than the Joe Thomas autotune session musician slickness of No Pier Pressure.
A proper programme of archival releases of live shows and unreleased material.
Both bands to start doing instant CDs of shows after gigs.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I think what's already on the table - Pet Sounds & "GV" 50th anniversary shows, two autobiographies and a full-on TV special reunion in October* - is more than we could realistically ask for, greedy herberts that we are.

[* - OK, there's a chance I might not be being entirely honest about this bit...]

[JK]

I can't warm to the idea of a new Beach Boys album (sorry, sorry, sorry) but I agree with everything else so far. :=)

[KDS]

Either BB or BW to add Feel Flows and Til I Die to their setlist. 

Tangible achieve live releases, not digital releases. 

A Blu Ray of The Beach Boys at the RAH in 2012.  Full concert!!!

In addition to the books by Mike and Brian, how about one by Al?

[Senator Blutarsky]

Continued health and happiness for Brian.

A great tour by Brian and Co. and maybe start working on new music at some point for a studio album.

Working on a live concert film / DVD to showcase the band.

As far a a full scale reunion, if it isn't purely a nostalgia act I'd be all for that.  

 Maybe too much to ask, but this would be my wish list.
 

[CosmicDancer]

Keep the archival material coming.  I've loved what we've gotten so far.

As has been mentioned here many times before, I'd love to see a Still Cruisin'/Summer in Paradise twofer with bonus tunes from movie soundtracks, etc.  Not necessarily for the sake of the quality of music, but just to complete the cycle.

Definitely looking forward to the books that are slated for release in 2016.

[AndrewHickey]

Both Til I Die and Isn't It Time, two of the three songs people have said Mike & Bruce should add to their setlists, were in the setlist for last year's UK tour. This is why I said they should do that kind of setlist again

[Emily]

Along with some things already listed:
A release of a good collection of restored video
A meet and greet at levitation could form a great life-long memory for my daughter
Al and Blondie at levitation
A set of non-Pet Sounds tunes as levitation.

Sorry so selfish.

[HeyJude]

Given how they can't get their s**t together for a full reunion, my wish list would be:

Archives, archives, archives........and, very much related to that:

Management, management, management.......

If they can't do anything active together, while solo releases are nice (which means largely pretty much just Brian apart from the odd single here and there), the vast archive of studio and live material is what needs to be liberated.

We've had some fantastic stuff, and there may well not be a ton of 60s stuff left apart from raw sessions. But the 70s and 80s (and even the 90s a bit, especially if we include solo-ish material) have TONS of archival stuff waiting to be released, and their huge archive of live shows has barely been touched upon.

They need to put archival releases out, and not just piecemeal scattered among hits, and not just by the impetus of copyright extension. They need a clear, concise, and prolific program (whether physical and/or via download). They could certainly go down the route of very lovely deluxe boxed sets, and that might be a good way to *start* such an archival program. Maybe a couple of lavish boxed sets for "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up", perhaps a nice multi-disc live boxed set touching on all eras.

"Party - Uncovered & Unplugged" is a fine set, and I'm sure they put a ton of work into it and folks like Alan Boyd probably are the main champion of getting as much stuff like that out as they can. But it's another small sign of BRI management not instigating something much more interesting. It's guys like Boyd and Linett busting their butts and making a "copyright extension" release as nice as possible. But really, who at BRI or Capitol/UME really think fans wanted a "Party" outtake set more than a "Sunflower" or "Surf's Up" set?

And then, streamline it with themed sets for each album (or era, or year, whatever), and put out a live show from each decade every few months.

Also, raiding the video archives, where there have to be at least *some* releasable shows or highlights, would also be key.

And what this takes is good management. The main fruits of good management we would see would be things like an admirable archive program.

A nice fringe benefit of good management would be not having to see these guys (mostly one guy) maligning other members' present or past. Instead of a member saying he hasn't listened to a new single featuring three of his bandmates, even though the song is streaming online for free and is about three minutes long, we should see ALL of the members promoting each others' projects on Facebook. Mike should be telling us how he just finished listening to "No Pier Pressure" and Brian should be linking to "Alone on Christmas Day", and they both should be telling us about Al's "Hurry Up Hurry Up Santa Claus." If Paul and Yoko and can hold hands and go down the red carpet and if the Beatles site and Facebook and each solo site and Facebook can all cross-promote each other, then that's the least the Beach Boys can do even if they're unwilling to actually work together and capitalize on so many members still being alive.

SOOOO much potential for so many good things. And, if they actually got truly GREAT management from the right person, they might actually be able to find someone who can navigate the minefield of putting together another reunion that would satisfy everyone, and do it before someone else dies or is otherwise unable to do it.

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

Well said!   

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Only one thing on my list and that would be the revocation  of myKe luHv's right to use the BB name. 

[KDS]

Hey Jude,

You hit the nail on the head.  Management is a HUGE issue.

And, I've said this before, if the unreleased songs you mention are to be released, please please don't make us spend money for stuff we already have.  I don't want to buy another GV or MIC box set.  Those are great, but anything in the future should include ONLY unreleased material.  

In the last five years or so, we've gotten the Smile Sessions and the Party Sessions.  So, maybe they're on the right track.  

[ash]

The sudden discovery of all the missing Smile tapes and Van Dyke finding an old notebook and tape reel with all the missing lyrics and Brian's sung demos for Look, Holidays, Child Is The Father Of The Man, Do You Like Worms, the original Heroes, a couple more unheard versions of Heroes and The Elements.
Pictures of all the notations on the Smile tape boxes/ session sheets.
Brian mentioned in the Q & A that his Baldwin organ was in storage somewhere....have they had a good look in "that place" for anything cool and Smile related.
oh and the Good Vibrations multi track would be a bonus. I'm assuming Mark and Alan checked Iron Mountain or whatever that mysterious facility is called.
Other than that, a complete Dylan World Tour box and Revolver super deluxe - the former is likely, the latter apparently less likely than my Beach Boys wish list.
If none of these are possible, i'm desperate to hear those Durrie Parks acetates. Did she find any of the video people mentioned ?
 

[Smilin Ed H]

Don't die.

Record a new album, with David and Al handling guitar duties.

Spread love and sunshine to a whole new generation.

The first one. Especially the first one.

[Pretty Funky]

Some kind of career 'Live' retrospective DVD of the Beach Boys. (Don't we ask for this every year?)

A one off PS/GV reunion concert with CD/DVD and Joe Thomas stuck on a desert island.

Screw Mike and Brian's bio's. Bring on Marilyn's!

[alf wiedersehen]

Just give me something new to listen to.

[Joel Goldenberg]

If there's more stuff like that 1975 Brian The Back of My Mind demo, bring it on!

[The Shift]

I just want everyone to be happy and get along.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Now you're just being silly. 

[Bedroom Tapes]

Keep the archival material coming.  I've loved what we've gotten so far.

As has been mentioned here many times before, I'd love to see a Still Cruisin'/Summer in Paradise twofer with bonus tunes from movie soundtracks, etc.  Not necessarily for the sake of the quality of music, but just to complete the cycle.

Ditto.

[Andrew G. Doe]

oh and the Good Vibrations multi track would be a bonus. I'm assuming Mark and Alan checked Iron Mountain or whatever that mysterious facility is called.

The last known sighting of the "GV" vocal multi-track was when Brian mixed the mono master at Columbia, between September 21st and very early October 1966 (the single was released on the 10th), after which it was returned to the Columbia storage racks. According to Bruce, it's highly likely said tape was thrown out some months later during a spring cleaning of the storage. Dammit.

[Sheriff John Stone]

My 2016 Wish List has been the same since 1998. It's already too late for it to come true this year because contracts have already been signed.

My wish is that Brian Wilson would quit/stop/retire from being a solo artist. I would like him to record a Beach Boys' album with Mike, Al, Bruce, and David, released in the spring. I would like the same lineup (with the 2012 backing band) to play a handful of concerts in 2016 - a festival in the summer, a two-night stand with a symphony orchestra in the fall, and a holiday/Christmas concert in December.

[The Shift]

My 2016 Wish List has been the same since 1998. It's already too late for it to come true this year because contracts have already been signed.

My wish is that Brian Wilson would quit/stop/retire from being a solo artist. I would like him to record a Beach Boys' album with Mike, Al, Bruce, and David, released in the spring. I would like the same lineup (with the 2012 backing band) to play a handful of concerts in 2016 - a festival in the summer, a two-night stand with a symphony orchestra in the fall, and a holiday/Christmas concert in December.

That would suit me too.

Plus a monster early 70s live box.

All at early 70s prices, as my post-Christmas bank balance ain't good…