Brian's next solo album (NPP followup) speculation and info thread

[HeyJude]

The thing is, nobody really buys Brian solo albums. Same for Mike. They don't get streamed really either. Only The Beach Boys name would sell, and get some attention. Too bad they couldn't record together, but tour apart. In their late 70's, time is almost up...

If you're a fan of the music, then why does it matter too much whether the stuff sells well or "gets attention?"

If I were a brand manager, sure, I'd tell them all to get back together and do another reunion. I think great things both financially and artistically could come of that.

But if we're just batting around the topic of Brian's next album, why does it matter how well it sells?

That being said, comparing Brian's solo album success to Mike's is really not an apt comparison. Mike's album last year didn't even chart on the main Top 200 albums chart. Most of Brian's solo albums have, including his most recent, "No Pier Pressure", which debuted at #28. Brian has often managed to snag a record deal with a major (Capitol, Disney, Warner, etc.).

The Beach Boys, collectively and individually, should have realized DECADES ago that they should be making GOOD ALBUMS that get award nominations and good press, and fulfill some level of artistic need on their part.

The reason we got the Frankenstein "Still Cruisin'" and "Summer in Paradise" was because someone was trying to repeat the "Kokomo" type of success and get "attention and sales." They failed miserably of course (in the case of SIP especially).

The fact that a "Brian Wilson" tour outgrossed the "Beach Boys" tour in the US in 2017 tells me Brian actually HAS built a brand on his own name that not only has more "indie cred" and all of that, but can actually compete with the "Beach Boys" name. To say nothing of most Brian Wilson solo albums from 1998 to 2015 outperforming the last couple of 90s Beach Boys projects, namely "Stars and Stripes" and "Summer in Paradise."

[thorgil]

The thing is, nobody really buys Brian solo albums. Same for Mike. They don't get streamed really either. Only The Beach Boys name would sell, and get some attention. Too bad they couldn't record together, but tour apart. In their late 70's, time is almost up...

Matt, I have 2 answers to this.
Firstly, "nobody" is a bit exaggerated; for example, I bought all of them, so "nobody" it isn't.
Secondly, you are obviously right that the BB name would sell more.... but someone nixed that possibility. Hints: first name is short for the thing Bruce keeps adjusting during touring BB's tours; family name should be the opposite of hate. Should.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

To Hey Jude and Thorgil, I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of your posts above. Exceptional indeed! Thank you. 

[Lee Marshall]

The reason that Brian can actually "compete with the 'Beach Boys' name" is because most true fans know 'the difference' and also that 'the Beach Boys' really don't exist anymore.  Those who know the music know, too, that Brian Wilson represents about 85-90% of what the Beach Boys accomplished in a positive vein musically.   And if anyone in their right mind wants to compare the likes of 'Still Crew-sin' or 'Summer in Pair of Dice' favourably to 'BWPS', 'TLOS' or 'No Pier Pressure' then they aren't really versed in anything which matters one iota when it comes to musicality or quality.  As for 'tiny's' solo release from some short while ago... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

A very, VERY small number of talented people know how to take a song and arrange it so that it can realize something special and travel somewhat beyond what was perceived to be it's full potential.  Then there are guys named Mike who might be able to jot down a quick poem but who couldn't arrange a one vehicle funeral 'procession' even if their lives depended upon it.

Jeff Foskett makes better 'records' than THAT guy.  So too do most other people with a hint of talent.

[thorgil]

To Hey Jude and Thorgil, I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of your posts above. Exceptional indeed! Thank you. 

Thank you, OSD.

[Lonely Summer]

The thing is, nobody really buys Brian solo albums. Same for Mike. They don't get streamed really either. Only The Beach Boys name would sell, and get some attention. Too bad they couldn't record together, but tour apart. In their late 70's, time is almost up...

If you're a fan of the music, then why does it matter too much whether the stuff sells well or "gets attention?"

If I were a brand manager, sure, I'd tell them all to get back together and do another reunion. I think great things both financially and artistically could come of that.

But if we're just batting around the topic of Brian's next album, why does it matter how well it sells?

That being said, comparing Brian's solo album success to Mike's is really not an apt comparison. Mike's album last year didn't even chart on the main Top 200 albums chart. Most of Brian's solo albums have, including his most recent, "No Pier Pressure", which debuted at #28. Brian has often managed to snag a record deal with a major (Capitol, Disney, Warner, etc.).

The Beach Boys, collectively and individually, should have realized DECADES ago that they should be making GOOD ALBUMS that get award nominations and good press, and fulfill some level of artistic need on their part.

The reason we got the Frankenstein "Still Cruisin'" and "Summer in Paradise" was because someone was trying to repeat the "Kokomo" type of success and get "attention and sales." They failed miserably of course (in the case of SIP especially).

The fact that a "Brian Wilson" tour outgrossed the "Beach Boys" tour in the US in 2017 tells me Brian actually HAS built a brand on his own name that not only has more "indie cred" and all of that, but can actually compete with the "Beach Boys" name. To say nothing of most Brian Wilson solo albums from 1998 to 2015 outperforming the last couple of 90s Beach Boys projects, namely "Stars and Stripes" and "Summer in Paradise."

The reason it matters if the new stuff sells or not is: if the new stuff is successful, then the artists will be encouraged to feature more of it in their live shows, instead of just playing the old stuff, tour after tour. When was the last time Brian and his band played anything from TLOS or GIOMH?

[HeyJude]

The thing is, nobody really buys Brian solo albums. Same for Mike. They don't get streamed really either. Only The Beach Boys name would sell, and get some attention. Too bad they couldn't record together, but tour apart. In their late 70's, time is almost up...

If you're a fan of the music, then why does it matter too much whether the stuff sells well or "gets attention?"

If I were a brand manager, sure, I'd tell them all to get back together and do another reunion. I think great things both financially and artistically could come of that.

But if we're just batting around the topic of Brian's next album, why does it matter how well it sells?

That being said, comparing Brian's solo album success to Mike's is really not an apt comparison. Mike's album last year didn't even chart on the main Top 200 albums chart. Most of Brian's solo albums have, including his most recent, "No Pier Pressure", which debuted at #28. Brian has often managed to snag a record deal with a major (Capitol, Disney, Warner, etc.).

The Beach Boys, collectively and individually, should have realized DECADES ago that they should be making GOOD ALBUMS that get award nominations and good press, and fulfill some level of artistic need on their part.

The reason we got the Frankenstein "Still Cruisin'" and "Summer in Paradise" was because someone was trying to repeat the "Kokomo" type of success and get "attention and sales." They failed miserably of course (in the case of SIP especially).

The fact that a "Brian Wilson" tour outgrossed the "Beach Boys" tour in the US in 2017 tells me Brian actually HAS built a brand on his own name that not only has more "indie cred" and all of that, but can actually compete with the "Beach Boys" name. To say nothing of most Brian Wilson solo albums from 1998 to 2015 outperforming the last couple of 90s Beach Boys projects, namely "Stars and Stripes" and "Summer in Paradise."

The reason it matters if the new stuff sells or not is: if the new stuff is successful, then the artists will be encouraged to feature more of it in their live shows, instead of just playing the old stuff, tour after tour. When was the last time Brian and his band played anything from TLOS or GIOMH?

Brian's going on 76 years old and has been touring for almost 20 years solo; I think his modus operandi in putting together setlists and shows is pretty set. He's never going to do a ton of solo stuff. I've never understood why his shows are viewed as "Brian Wilson Solo Career" shows. They've never been marketed as such, and have never constituted that.

It's a "Brian Wilson" show in the most literal sense; it's stuff mostly written or co-written by Brian.

He has never done a ton of solo stuff in concert (full albums excepted of course), and to the degree he has, he usually features whatever his most recent album project is. By the next tour, most if not all of the "new album" stuff is gone. Brian doesn't even have a bunch of "next tours" left in him in all likelihood, so hoping for a #1 smash hit album in 2018 in hopes that the stuff will survive in the setlist until 2028 seems like a stretch in numerous ways.

A new studio album in tandem with a tour usually means we'll get 3 or 4 new album songs (usually whittled down to 2 or 3 by the end of the tour), and the rest of the set is older BB back catalog stuff (especially when he's touring a full album like PS where the number of songs that can be swapped out is very minimal when they have to fit in "classics" as well as PS). Brian has on occasion mixed in an old solo track here or there ("Let It Shine" in 2000, "Your Imagination" and "Going Home" in 2013), but in that case I think he was just picking songs he wanted to do. Those weren't "hit" songs either.

But again, Brian's been on the road for almost 20 years solo. He's never NOT going to do old BB classics, and his shows will never NOT include predominantly Beach Boys material. I'd love to see BB deep cuts and solo deep cuts woven in and out of the setlist. I'd love more dynamic setlists across the board. But, while I can totally envision a number of additional years of touring from Brian and I'm not trying to signal his demise, I think at his age and career stage, we're DECADES past the stage of pondering "maybe he can kickstart a successful solo career and ditch doing mostly BB songs." Frankly, even if he DID score a #1 smash hit solo album and even if we had a "Kokomo"-sized success with a particular song solo, even *then* his shows would still be mostly BB tunes.

If he scores his own "Kokomo"-sized solo hit in 2018, his live shows would surely feature that song, and would also still have "Barbara Ann" and "Fun Fun Fun" and all of that.

The only time we might get a larger proportion of solo material in his shows again is if he does another TLOS-style song cycle and does the "full album live" thing, and even in that case, just like TLOS or Gershwin, it would be one-and-done and then back to his normal live show format. Even when he has done those full new albums in concert, it hasn't been because those albums sold super well or were big hits. It was just what he built those tours around, and they were well-respected, relatively high-concept projects that he could feature.