Jack Reilly

[Jonas]

Im a bit skeptical if its the real Jack Reilly...but its still some cool info. Though he is a bit full of himself. And I totally call bullshit on Bruce asking him to write the lyrics for Disney Girls. Yeah fucking right...the guy hates you yet hes gonna approach you for lyrics? Too much wacky tabacky got to his brain in the Dam.

[Steve Mayo]

Im a bit skeptical if its the real Jack Reilly...but its still some cool info. Though he is a bit full of himself. And I totally call bullmerda on Bruce asking him to write the lyrics for Disney Girls. Yeah fodaing right...the guy hates you yet hes gonna approach you for lyrics? Too much wacky tabacky got to his brain in the Dam.

all i know is when i questioned this 10 years ago to someone i was asked to present a couple of questions about the spring album. when i relayed the answer to my post i was told " yep...passed the test".

take it for whatever it may be worth to you but i believed what i was told after that and really thought it was jack.

[mikee]

Only live performance of  "A Day In the Life Of  A Tree"
Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA December 3, 1971

Reportedly, Brian was coaxed onstage to play organ for, just this song, while Jack also appeared and sang it.

By the way, his name is R-i-e-l-e-y isn't it?

[Sheriff John Stone]

If Brian Wilson would've wanted or needed Jack Reily to stay around, he would've stayed around. Apparently, Brian no longer had any further use for him, therefore, neither did the Beach Boys.

[tpesky]

I am having mixed emotions  reading the Reilly pieces. Some have interesting stories and analysis, other pieces are the biggest loads of BS ever. Reilly clearly loves  to credit himself way too much.  Feel Flows have to to be some of the most god awful lyrics ever. I have non Beach Boy friends who heard it in Almost Famous and just love the song and just laugh hysterically at the lyrics, just totally kill the song. In fact, at 1 performance in the late 70's , Carl apologized for the "awful lyrics". It is almost laughable the way he breaks up the group too. Everything good the BB ever accomplished was the Wilsons, everything bad Love Jardine Johnston. Its so ridiculously bias. Note to Jack: Trader could have been a great song except your stupid lyrics make the thing last forever and drag on and on.  You no doubt helped the BB reach success live and with Surfs Up and Holland. But I can see his attitude definitely pissed off people. After reading some posts, I just want to punch the guy for being a complete and utter ass. Love and Jardine, say what you will about them, played a part in making those live shows in the early 70s a huge success. Trust me, most fans would not have loved and gone nuts over an encore of Feel Flows, Mess of Help, Marcella, Funky Pretty, and Steamboat. Some great songs, but lets face it Dutch buddy not all great! Second, how about the fact you deceived the entire group about your creditentials! Didn't mention that. Clearly a man with some good ideas, a warped personality (don't see many successful bands stand in line to hire him), a warped sense of personality, and rightfully canned!

[Rocker]

They went a different direction artistically (trying to not sound like the beach boys) after Jack arrived and im not sure it was for the better.

I think it's more the others taking over and having their own sound, which differs from Brian's. Still pure Beach Boys.
Political topics in songs is part of the image not of the sound imo (if that makes sense)


BTW What's that story about Riley and Mike's dance steps to "Marcella"?

[Dancing Bear]

BTW What's that story about Riley and Mike's dance steps to "Marcella"?

It took me a awful long while to notice the links down there in this page.

Anyway:
http://www.smileysmile.net/index.php/jack_rieley_speaks_part_one
http://www.smileysmile.net/index.php/jack_rieley_speaks_part_two

[Dave in KC]

Mike was just practicing to do his part of the job. That Mike Love is just sooo cool.

[Glenn Greenberg]

he presided over the dismantling of, or dumbing down of, what could have been the greatest BB's LP...Surf's UP...and saw it turn into a political compromise between members with less artisitc vision while great songs disappeared from it.

What songs were supposed to appear on it and didn't?

Is there an original song list for the Surf's Up album that you could tell me about?  Is it significantly different from the song list for the "Landlocked" album, as shown at Andrew G. Doe's site?

http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/unreleased.html

[MBE]

Stephen Desper has said to me that Bruce DID in fact like Rieley for a breif time, so the Disney Grils thing is plausable. I love Loop De Loop though far more then many of "Jack's" songs.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I wonder if Jack was able to go to Brian's 'Pet Sounds' and 'Smile' shows and what he thought of them. I bet he really enjoyed them. Also, if the things he says are true then why isn't he friends with Brian today? If they are, it seems strange that there is no press on it.

I also found it strange that Jack never once mentioned Blondie and Ricky. I read all of it so if he did it was briefly.

[Steve Mayo]

I also found it strange that Jack never once mentioned Blondie and Ricky. I read all of it so if he did it was briefly.

there was more than what is in part 1 & 2 here. i remember reading things that are not listed here. like the making of feel flows, just what "white puff" and "black puff" meant. things like that. i believe he did comment on blondie & ricky. i don't remember for sure just what else was talked about but there was a lot more.

[Rocker]

BTW What's that story about Riley and Mike's dance steps to "Marcella"?

It took me a awful long while to notice the links down there in this page.

Anyway:
http://www.smileysmile.net/index.php/jack_rieley_speaks_part_one
http://www.smileysmile.net/index.php/jack_rieley_speaks_part_two

Thanks !!

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

I also found it strange that Jack never once mentioned Blondie and Ricky. I read all of it so if he did it was briefly.

there was more than what is in part 1 & 2 here. i remember reading things that are not listed here. like the making of feel flows, just what "white puff" and "black puff" meant. things like that. i believe he did comment on blondie & ricky. i don't remember for sure just what else was talked about but there was a lot more.

They are definitely not complete.  But they are all I can find on my computer.  If any more of Jack's posts turn up, I'll gladly post them on my site.

[Steve Mayo]

i saved those way back when also. of course it was many a computer ago. i know i put them on floppy discs. i will try to find them. if i do i will pass them on also.

[Sheriff John Stone]

You learn something new every day....

As a BB/BW nut for decades now, I thought I read and knew pretty much about Brian Wilson. But nooooooooooooooooo. Today, I found out that Brian was insecure about the size of his penis. Thanks, Jack.

[Steve Mayo]

You learn something new every day....

As a BB/BW nut for decades now, I thought I read and knew pretty much about Brian Wilson. But nooooooooooooooooo. Today, I found out that Brian was insecure about the size of his penis. Thanks, Jack.

in this "bigger is better" world, aren't we all!!   

[Chris Brown]

Those were both fascinating to read, definitely a lot of stuff in there I never knew (Brian and his, uh, "shortcomings").

One other thing that is only slightly off topic.  I loved reading Rielly's response about the composition and recording of "A Day In the Life of a Tree".  I guess what surprised me though is that it really seems as if it was just written about a tree, not some deep metaphor into Brian's psyche at the time.  It seems to lend itself to the latter purpose perfectly, and I've always thought that somewhere in those words was a deep dark piece of Brian trying to describe how he was feeling, much like "Til I Die" but a bit more subtle.   Just seems strange to me that it really might be as simplistic as it sounds.

Plus hearing about how Brian "tricked" Jack into recording the lead vocal was hilarious. 

[Magic Transistor Radio]

When I was reading about the Surf's Up album, he mentioned that Dennis' songs were taken off to make room for Mike, Al and Bruce songs to keep them happy or something. I thought that Dennis toak his own song's off because he was unhappy with SU being on the album and wanted to make a solo album.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Way I've heard it, from several sources, Dennis & Carl had a blowup over the sequencing, and Denny took his songs (or possibly, song) off.

[Dancing Bear]

Dennis had between two and four songs in every Beach Boys album between '68 and '73, except for Surf's up. Mike and Al certainly wanted more space for their songs in 1971 but I don't see how it would automatically mean NO Dennis tracks. The 'blow-up with Carl' version makes more sense.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Mike and Al certainly wanted more space for their songs in 1971 but I don't see how it would automatically mean NO Dennis tracks.

Right! This is a subject that I will never be able to make sense out of, and that is the process by which the Beach Boys chose/limited/left off the songs on their albums.

The Surf's Up album had only 10 songs on it, and clocks in at 30 some minutes. Now I know there is a limit as to how many minutes of music can fit on a side of vinyl, but why not include Mike and Al's songs - AND Dennis' one or two songs. I mean, there appeared to be enough room/space to acommodate ALL of the guys' songs.

I have never been able to figure out why the Beach Boys' left so many good songs off of their albums, which would've strengthened their "weaker" albums significantly.

[Pretty Funky]

Which begs the question from someone who knows how record companies work. If they sign a artist for a album, just what is the definition. ie How many songs or the total length etc?
I read of some artists who have so many songs, they then try to put out a double album which must require some renegotiation with the label.

Re the Rieley 96 replies. His distaste of Mike working out some moves for Marcella live. Brian did just those same moves, sitting down, when I went to a BWPS show in 04! 

[Dave in KC]

Oh, I truly believe that Brian's on-stage movements are/were part of an attempt to be hip like Mike. God or bad. But to my eyes, it's all a part of the competition.

[mikee]

They are definitely not complete.  But they are all I can find on my computer.  If any more of Jack's posts turn up, I'll gladly post them on my site.

i saved those way back when also. of course it was many a computer ago. i know i put them on floppy discs. i will try to find them. if i do i will pass them on also.

Great, I have really enjoyed Jack's comments that have been posted so far.  I would particularily be interested in his comments concerning Murry's funeral service if he ever got back to talking about that.

Remind me as well to take time, sometime, to relate the story of Murry's funeral.