New Brian's song: "Live Let Live" on "Artic Tale" soundtrack

[HighOnLife]

It's clear you're not, and it's clear plenty of others are with you. Others keep stating their wish for a Beach Boys reunion to let some of them do some singing. And a few people say what I say. Either way, none of us really have a lot to say about it.

I'd rather have the Beach Boys reunion. If Brian's going to share the spotlight, it may as well be with his musical brothers.

[Sheriff John Stone]

It's clear you're not, and it's clear plenty of others are with you. Others keep stating their wish for a Beach Boys reunion to let some of them do some singing. And a few people say what I say. Either way, none of us really have a lot to say about it.

I'd rather have the Beach Boys reunion. If Brian's going to share the spotlight, it may as well be with his musical brothers.

I'm with you, except for the spotlight thing. It's all about the music. I'm not interested in who gets the spotlight, I'm just tired of Brian's songs not reaching their full potential - in my opinion.

To me, it's always been a no-brainer. BW88, Imagination, GIOMH, and the Christmas album all would've improved by one full grade with the addition of other lead vocalists. I hope Lucky Old Sun isn't added to that list...

[HighOnLife]

'Other lead vocalists'.

Who did you have in mind?

[Sheriff John Stone]

Just don't tell Luther...

Their initials are Mike Love, Carl Wilson (for BW88 & Imagination), Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston.

I know this thread isn't about a Beach Boys' reunion, it's about Brian's new song. And, in discussing Brian's new, future music, that's how I feel. Actually, that's how I've felt for the last twenty years.

I don't understand how people got all excited when Al recently toured with Brian, and people were saying how much he (Al) contributed to the quality of the songs. But talk of a BB reunion and people say, "Oh no, Brian doesn't need them". Why can't you take that voice (Al's) into the studio. And people won't admit it, but Mike Love could've done the same thing Al did, probably adding even more to the songs. I admit I'm stuck on this issue, but it's such a no-brainer. I mean, Brian felt the need to keep Carl's vocal on "Soul Searchin". But, nooooooooooo, we don't need Mike's lead on "City Blues" or "Desert Drive". Or Al on "Make A Wish" or "The Waltz". Or Bruce on....

[HighOnLife]

I'd like to see it happen, I just think there's less than a 5% chance that it will. I won't hold my breath, certainly because all of the majors are over the age of 60.

[the captain]

And two very real majors are dead.

[HighOnLife]

Well, I'm of the opinion that it's really only to get any water that's left to go under the bridge, not that's it an fully-official reunion. That ship sailed out around 1983.

[the captain]

Make it '73 and we're agreed, artistically speaking (and Love You excepted).

(Here's where fans of [whatever] get mad. BBs fans, so easy to rile up!)

[Sheriff John Stone]

Make it '73 and we're agreed, artistically speaking (and Love You excepted).

(Here's where fans of [whatever] get mad. BBs fans, so easy to rile up!)

I don't disagree with that.

But I view the future (in my dreams) configuration - Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce, and Dave - to not be a better incarnation, but a DIFFERENT incarnation, one that could give Brian's new music a fighting chance.

Carl's death sealed the fate of any future BB album being a classic, but I would love to see what those five old buzzards could come up with. The prospect(s) of solo projects bores me.

[HighOnLife]

The prospect(s) of solo projects bores me.

I agree with this. Whatever excitement I used to have for solo projects was killed off at GIOMH came out.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian already gets credit for stuff he really didn't write/produce as much as claimed. Taking his vocals out makes putting stuff out in his name stupidly ludicrous.

[Rocker]

Just don't tell Luther...

Their initials are Mike Love, Carl Wilson (for BW88 & Imagination), Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston.

I know this thread isn't about a Beach Boys' reunion, it's about Brian's new song. And, in discussing Brian's new, future music, that's how I feel. Actually, that's how I've felt for the last twenty years.

I don't understand how people got all excited when Al recently toured with Brian, and people were saying how much he (Al) contributed to the quality of the songs. But talk of a BB reunion and people say, "Oh no, Brian doesn't need them". Why can't you take that voice (Al's) into the studio. And people won't admit it, but Mike Love could've done the same thing Al did, probably adding even more to the songs. I admit I'm stuck on this issue, but it's such a no-brainer. I mean, Brian felt the need to keep Carl's vocal on "Soul Searchin". But, nooooooooooo, we don't need Mike's lead on "City Blues" or "Desert Drive". Or Al on "Make A Wish" or "The Waltz". Or Bruce on....

To tell you the truth, I'm all for a reunion. But I think Al is the only Beach Boy who still has a great voice. Brian's ok, at times terrible, and Mike & Bruce are really bad on many occasions that I heard them. I'd rather have Brian sing "I get around" these days than Mike. Don't know about Dave's voice. A reunion for me would be a nostalgic thing with a hopefully big (and great) finale to burry the Beach Boys finally.

[Sheriff John Stone]

To tell you the truth, I'm all for a reunion. But I think Al is the only Beach Boy who still has a great voice. Brian's ok, at times terrible, and Mike & Bruce are really bad on many occasions that I heard them. I'd rather have Brian sing "I get around" these days than Mike. Don't know about Dave's voice.

I get what you're saying about Mike & Bruce's vocals, but you are only judging them based on their recent live performances, which can be weak. Two points to consider:

1)  On the recent release, Songs From Here And Back, Mike sounds OK on "Cool Head, Warm Heart", as he does on the solo album (did you hear those leaked songs?) he has been shopping for the last five years. I prefer Mike's vocals than Brian's on "The Spirit Of Rock & Roll" or "California Feeling".  And do you really prefer Brian singing "I Get Around" over Mike Love? Hearing Brian attempt to sing Mike's part(s), which he does on almost every song, is very unfulfilling to me.

2) People can say what they want about Mike & Bruce personally, but they've been pretty professional in the studio haven't they? I believe Mike and Bruce, if given the opportunity to sing new Brian Wilson material, would be dedicated and sound quite good. And remember, they would have access to the same ProTools and other studio gimmicry that Brian has been using. I think the results would surprise a lot of people.

[Rocker]

Yeah, I heard those tacks and really liked them. My point was on live-recordings I heard. But still I prefer Brian on a good day than Mike on a good one. Brian at times still has some more punch (I hope that's the right word) singing it. But "IGA" was just an example. There are songs that Mike probably sings "better" than Brian although right now nothing comes to my mind. Mike's lower octaves are still good, but he sings very weak in higher grounds imo.
In studio that's another thing.

I guess in any case, I prefer Al over Brian and Mike singing the "Mike"-songs. Bruce though is the weakest of all the surviving BBs I have heard, maybe he'd sound better in a studio.

[Amy B.]

Hmm. It just seems like a BB reunion would suck. I mean, the band spent its last years making music that was largely mediocre because of bad lyrics that pretended they were still all 22. Now, if they got together and Mike's lyrics were actually pretty decent, maybe that issue would be resolved. But if not, a bunch of 65 year old guys releasing a brand new album about girls in bikinis is just creepy.

Then there's the music. We all know that Brian is still the one most capable of churning out great music. But if you're all unhappy with his solo output, who's to say his output with the BBs would be any better? And it's not like Mike, Al, or Bruce have been incredibly musically producive lately. Would they be able to light a fire under Brian's butt?

And then there's their voices. Al's voice is still decent, but Mike's, Bruce's and Brian's are not what they used to be. Who would sing the leads? Probably Mike, since he's known as the BB voice. Would it sound good? Eh. Actually, I prefer Brian on a good day to _Al_ on a good day. Al's voice is great, but Brian can still achieve that sweetness and subtlety that Al doesn't have. So...yeah. I'm holding out for some good Brian solo stuff. Like I said, he sounded great on the Christmas album.

[pixletwin]

I love the Christmas album and Brian's solo work has a few shining moments (though sometimes the luster is dimmed by the crappy slick 80's production). But I would be lying if I said I wouldn't have preferred to hear mike singing at the end of BWPS Surf's Up. I think a Beach Boys reunion (with Brian at the helm) would be pretty awesome. Bring VDP for some lyric work and really honest-to-God believe that it is possible to have one more BB classic (even sans Carl and Dennis).

[the captain]

the same ProTools and other studio gimmicry that Brian has been using.

How about we just say "same studio technology." There's no gimmick to it.

[HeyJude]

1)  On the recent release, Songs From Here And Back, Mike sounds OK on "Cool Head, Warm Heart", as he does on the solo album (did you hear those leaked songs?) he has been shopping for the last five years. I prefer Mike's vocals than Brian's on "The Spirit Of Rock & Roll" or "California Feeling".  And do you really prefer Brian singing "I Get Around" over Mike Love? Hearing Brian attempt to sing Mike's part(s), which he does on almost every song, is very unfulfilling to me.

Just to muddy the waters, I think the best voice to sing material like "I Get Around" today is Al. I heard Al sing "I Get Around" (the Mike parts, that is) at a benefit/charity show back in 2005 without his regular band. This is noteworthy because when Al's band including his sons plays "I Get Around", Matt Jardine usually sings both the Mike and Brian parts. So it was interesting to hear Al sing it, and I think he does a great job. You can of course hear him on things like "Little Deuce Coupe" on his "Live in Las Vegas" album. I like how Al sounds on these songs. It sounds familiar, yet different at the same time. His voice is in such good shape. While a song like "PT Cruiser" is sort of a novelty sort of thing, if you listen particularly to the vocals-only mix of that song, Al's lead vocal sounds like it could have been flown in from 1965.

I really wish a quality recording of the handfull of Mike-less BB shows from 1990 existed. I've heard a pretty bad audience recording from an Ontario show in 1990 where Mike was absent, and Al handled nearly all of Mike's leads. Al also handled his own regular leads as well (Rhonda, Come Go With Me, California Saga as well at this show), so the show is the closest I've ever heard to a sort of half-way Al solo show with Bruce and Carl singing a few leads as well. This show was even more Al-heavy than Al's current "Endless Summer Band" shows, where he gives some leads to his sons and whatnot. Even though the recording I heard was pretty bad, even by audience recording standards, I liked what I heard.

[Rocker]

Just to muddy the waters, I think the best voice to sing material like "I Get Around" today is Al.

I agree. Just listen to "Shut down" on Al's live-CD.

[elnombre]

To tell you the truth, I'm all for a reunion. But I think Al is the only Beach Boy who still has a great voice. Brian's ok, at times terrible, and Mike & Bruce are really bad on many occasions that I heard them. I'd rather have Brian sing "I get around" these days than Mike. Don't know about Dave's voice.

I get what you're saying about Mike & Bruce's vocals, but you are only judging them based on their recent live performances, which can be weak. Two points to consider:

1)  On the recent release, Songs From Here And Back, Mike sounds OK on "Cool Head, Warm Heart", as he does on the solo album (did you hear those leaked songs?) he has been shopping for the last five years. I prefer Mike's vocals than Brian's on "The Spirit Of Rock & Roll" or "California Feeling".  And do you really prefer Brian singing "I Get Around" over Mike Love? Hearing Brian attempt to sing Mike's part(s), which he does on almost every song, is very unfulfilling to me.

Hearing him sing outside of the limitations of his current range wouldn't be fulfilling for anyone.

[shelter]

After twenty years of being a solo artist, Brian has found out the hard way that his name doesn't automatically generate sales (record or concert) anymore.

It never really did. Even in the 60s, nothing that Brian did on his own sold well. The artists he produced, the Survivors single, the Caroline No single (released under his own name) the Getting Hungry single (Brian & Mike)... Nothing of it sold well.

I'm sure that if Brian would release a new album now with some guest vocals by Al and maybe some archive recordings from Dennis or Carl and release it as a Beach Boys album instead of a solo album, it would sell at least twice as many copies.

[Sheriff John Stone]

After twenty years of being a solo artist, Brian has found out the hard way that his name doesn't automatically generate sales (record or concert) anymore.

It never really did. Even in the 60s, nothing that Brian did on his own sold well. The artists he produced, the Survivors single, the Caroline No single (released under his own name) the Getting Hungry single (Brian & Mike)... Nothing of it sold well.

I'm sure that if Brian would release a new album now with some guest vocals by Al and maybe some archive recordings from Dennis or Carl and release it as a Beach Boys album instead of a solo album, it would sell at least twice as many copies.

If you remember back to 1988 (I don't know how old you are), most of the (limited) success of the first solo album was due to "Brian hype" - the Brian is genius hype and now he's going to step out on his own and blow minds. The album came out of the shoot pretty strong because of that, going Top 50 I believe. Of course, one listen to the album dispelled that hype.

Also, weren't the success (ticket sales) of the first solo concerts due to Brian's name/reputation? Granted, it might've been out of curiosity, but the NAME Brian Wilson got a lot of attention. People didn't know what to expect.

Now, to quote the great Bob Dylan - things have changed. I don't think Brian gets that big push with his solo albums and tours anymore because of his name. I think the curiosity factor is over. People are now pretty sure what they're going to get, I think. Is Brian reaching the mass public lately or just the core of diehards?

I think Melinda and David Leaf were on top of this also, which would explain the performance of Pet Sounds live in its entirety, and, of course, the resurrection of SMiLE. Brian has to come up with something new, or enticing, because, unlike The Beach Boys (Mike and Bruce), I'm not sure he could sustain a solo career by simply presenting Brian Wilson.

I also think (but I'm not sure yet; have to get more info) that is why Brian is working on the Lucky Old Sun project. Is this project something he's really into/behind, or is it another gimmick to sell tickets? I read a quote - maybe it was on this board - where Brian said about Lucky Old Sun "I don't know what it's about"...

Edit: While I love Dennis and Carl's work, and feel that they will never receive the credit that they are due, I think the response of their inclusion on a Brian-related project would be minimal, again appealing to Beach Boy diehards only.
 

[shelter]

Edit: While I love Dennis and Carl's work, and feel that they will never receive the credit that they are due, I think the response of their inclusion on a Brian-related project would be minimal, again appealing to Beach Boy diehards only.

What I was trying to say was just that a Brian Wilson album under the name 'Beach Boys' would sell a lot better than just a Brian Wilson album. Even if instead of a real BB album it would just be, for example, a BW album with a guest vocal by Al and some archive material from Dennis and/or Carl.

The big public (people that only have one greatest hits CD or something like that) want the Beach Boys, not 'that dude that used to be in the Beach Boys'. And just the name would make all the difference, even if it's an empty shell. Do you think that anyone would want Mike & Bruce to play at their state fair if they'd be playing as 'Mike Love & Bruce Johnston'? I highly doubt it.

[endofposts]

My understanding is that LOS was commissioned by a British arts organization.  It was their idea for him to write a new work.  I suppose he could have turned it down, but he decided to take it on (or it was suggested he try it, depending on how cynical your point of view is).  It's actually not that commercial of an idea.  Brian has been working on another album of pop material in the studio, but as of yet, hasn't begun formally recording "Lucky Old Sun."  To me, that indicates he and his supporters find less commercial potential around the project.  Plus, there's the fact he's doing a big tour of Europe in the middle of creating it, instead of staying home and finishing it and/or recording it. 

It doesn't surprise me if he said he's not sure what it's about.  It may not be completed, and it's Van Dyke Parks who is supposedly writing the narration, not Brian.

[Swamp Pirate]

You know, at the end of the day, the guy who's name is on the record is ultimately responsible for what the output is.  We've been doing this second guessing of Brian's 'collaborators' and co-producers and career choices dating back to Dr. Landy...and probably longer than that.

I will appreciate any new recording Brian puts out, no matter if it's full of 'older' songs that's never seen the light of day, no matter if it has imperfect singing and outdated arrangements, and no matter if his songs and collaborators don't meet the impossible standards that we, as fans, have set up for Brian.

Why?  At the end of the day, he's carved out a nice little second career in his twilight years.  He's toured.  He finally removed the Smile monkey off his back.  He's received the recognition he's long since deserved for his accomplishments from his peers in the music industry and recovered his musical legacy.  Which, by the way, is a big improvement from being remembered as the whacked out, reclusive, drug casualty who stayed in bed all day.

Brian doesn't need the Beach Boys this late in the game and the Beach Boys don't need Brian.

I don't expect him to uncork another record remotely in the same league as Pet Sounds or Smile ever again.  But I could live with another GIOMH because I know there will be enough Brian 'moments' that'll overcome the overall imperfection of the CD.