Ten Years Of Harmony - Please help!

[punkinhead]

Maybe he was thinking about what time periods were being represented in this ten years of harmony, with bruce leaving then comming back....

[c-man]

Maybe he was thinking about what time periods were being represented in this ten years of harmony, with bruce leaving then comming back....

That's what I surmised back when this happened.  Of the ten group albums represented in this anthology, Bruce was onboard as a band member for only four.

And no, Carl wasn't a part of the performing band when the comp was put together, but he was an official Beach Boy (just like Brian was still a Beach Boy when not touring with them).  And, if I remember right, he produced or coproduced the majority of tracks included from that time period.

[roll plymouth rock]

CBS kept the compilation album on its list of projected September releases, and in July received from Caribou records a master for the record:

Side One: "The Trader", "Deidre", "Long Promised Road", "The Night Was So Young", "Sail On Sailor", "Come Go With Me".

Side Two: "Marcella", "Surf's Up", "Cool Cool Water", "Don't Go Near The Water", "Talk To Me", "Til I Die".

What's Talk To Me? Haven't heard of that one..

[Dancing Bear]

CBS kept the compilation album on its list of projected September releases, and in July received from Caribou records a master for the record:

Side One: "The Trader", "Deidre", "Long Promised Road", "The Night Was So Young", "Sail On Sailor", "Come Go With Me".

Side Two: "Marcella", "Surf's Up", "Cool Cool Water", "Don't Go Near The Water", "Talk To Me", "Til I Die".

What's Talk To Me? Haven't heard of that one..

One of the 15 Big Ones. What about this track list? Whoever compiled this one probably chose tracks at random.

[roll plymouth rock]

Oh, lol. Well then I have heard it, but obviously didn't care for it that much...that album just seems so random as well

[The Shift]

Just checked my (Austrian pressed, apparently, at first glance) CD copy of TYOH... it's got a very rare track on CD 2 - Long Promised Rad... as in "totally rad"?

[petsite]

Bruce was on all the albums from the 70's except  MIU. Not as a full flegged band member, but he was there.

And no, Carl was touring with the guys in 1981, but he compiled the LP. One reason he did was because the BB had already taken an advance for it AND an LP of new material. Carl was the only one willing to "work" at the time, so.

BTW, in 1981 and 1982, the BB played close to 240 each year.

[c-man]

Bruce was on all the albums from the 70's except  MIU. Not as a full flegged band member, but he was there.

And no, Carl was touring with the guys in 1981, but he compiled the LP. One reason he did was because the BB had already taken an advance for it AND an LP of new material. Carl was the only one willing to "work" at the time, so.

BTW, in 1981 and 1982, the BB played close to 240 each year.

You mean Carl WASN'T touring with the guys in 1981, right? (except for the first couple of months of the year).  And it's true Bruce was on all the studio LPs from the 70's as a guest, except MIU, but for CATP through Love You, he's only on a track or two, and not as an official BB.  I'm sure that's why Carl objected to him being included in the picture, because the only the five guys pictured in the gatefold were official Beach Boys for the entire timespan the anthology covers.

[Jon Stebbins]

Bruce was on all the albums from the 70's except  MIU. Not as a full flegged band member, but he was there.

And no, Carl was touring with the guys in 1981, but he compiled the LP. One reason he did was because the BB had already taken an advance for it AND an LP of new material. Carl was the only one willing to "work" at the time, so.

BTW, in 1981 and 1982, the BB played close to 240 each year.

You mean Carl WASN'T touring with the guys in 1981, right? (except for the first couple of months of the year).  And it's true Bruce was on all the studio LPs from the 70's as a guest, except MIU, but for CATP through Love You, he's only on a track or two, and not as an official BB.  I'm sure that's why Carl objected to him being included in the picture, because the only the five guys pictured in the gatefold were official Beach Boys for the entire timespan the anthology covers.

I agree with C-Man's analysis.

[donald]

This album was my introduction to some of the songs.  This was in pre cd days and I didn't own all of the vinyl.  These days we are used to having everything including bonus tracs.

The album was a treat and a revelation.  I took it to a show in the mid 80's and the band was happy to see it, and all gladly signed it. When they played tracs from it mid-show, they thanked the audience for whoever it was that brought it and asked us to hold it up for everyone to see.

[punkinhead]

Hey loveandmercy, give talk to me another chance, I think it's one of the better covers though the best part is the Tallahassie Lassie part around the end, it's a very classic Brian Wilson moment on a very non-classic-Brian Wilson produced album

[Dave in KC]

Totally agree about Talk To Me. I'm so glad to have had this song on my favorites list for all these years. How could a Beach Boy fan not like it?

[punkinhead]

It sounds like Carl's slightly drunk era

[mikeyj]

Hey loveandmercy, give talk to me another chance, I think it's one of the better covers though the best part is the Tallahassie Lassie part around the end, it's a very classic Brian Wilson moment on a very non-classic-Brian Wilson produced album

Talk To Me is nice enough, but Little Willie John's version (the only other version I've heard) is just sooooo much better imo.

[Jon Stebbins]

Hey loveandmercy, give talk to me another chance, I think it's one of the better covers though the best part is the Tallahassie Lassie part around the end, it's a very classic Brian Wilson moment on a very non-classic-Brian Wilson produced album

Talk To Me is nice enough, but Little Willie John's version (the only other version I've heard) is just sooooo much better imo.

I was going to say the same thing Mikey...the orig. version by Little Willie John from '58 is so damn cool.

[petsite]

Bruce was on all the albums from the 70's except  MIU. Not as a full flegged band member, but he was there.

And no, Carl was touring with the guys in 1981, but he compiled the LP. One reason he did was because the BB had already taken an advance for it AND an LP of new material. Carl was the only one willing to "work" at the time, so.

BTW, in 1981 and 1982, the BB played close to 240 each year.

I did mean Carl WASN'T there, thanks c-man!

Being 22 at the time that TYOH came out, it was really kind of a let down after all the hype that led up to it. It is still a fantastic collection.  I talked to both Bruce Johnston and Steve E. (VP at CBS) and the actual release does not come close to the collection they had in mind. SMiLE tracks, more unreleased stuff, etc. Sure sure, we have all of it now, but try and put yourself in fan mode back then (no internet). Only fanzines and magazines like Gold Mine and Time Barrier Express. You really couldn't find Record Collector. I remember buying the big Capitol Years boxset from the UK for $110 (1981 dollars at that) just by walking into an import record store, with no idea before hand that such a collection was coming. They only got one copy at that. I walked around that store for an hour, trying to figure out what I could live without so I could buy that sucker. I was NOT going to go home and come back later! That was a hard check to write. But I bought it! And still have it about 5 feet away from me on a shelf in my office! So after hearing all of the promises of what TYOH was going to be and then what evenutally was released. What a letdown.

I also think that Carl's thoughts on Bruce, production credits, etc, were reflections on his state of mind at the time. He really wanted to make an impact on the other members of the group. To really kick them in the ass to get going on recording and practising. The vibe from the BB to him at the time was "we are continuing without you, making sh**loads of money, and hardly notice that you aren't here!" Mike even said in an interview that he couldn't believe Carl left while they were having one of their most prosperous year ever!. So Carl wanted to make his presence felt, and he exerted alot of control over this project. BTW, how would you feel if your were getting the above vibe from the band and also being told "Hey, go put this LP together that we have already gotten the advance for because we are way too busy to bother with it!". The rest of the group knew Carl really cared about their catalogue.

From Brad's own article in Goldmine:

With the New Year's show and party barely, a memory, the Beach Boys launched into a very full year of touring. Early on, they told CBS (who distributes the Caribou label, to which the group is signed) not to expect an album until the Fall at the earliest. The company had been hoping to release product around May.

Also postponed until at least fall was a "best of" collection of tracks from the past decade. At one time, that album had been planned for February release.

With no product to push, CBS dropped its financial support of the group's touring in May. Probably contributing to that decision were the reviews the group had drawn in the first months of the year. All around the country, the group had been knocked, for lackluster, uninspired, stale performances. Lyrics were almost routinely botched.

With the group dredging up such dated numbers as "Long, Tall Texan" and "The Little 0ld Lady From Pasadena," the tag "Irrelevant" was heard more and more.

And alot of people I knew at the time thought that they way Carl bailed on the rest of the group was chickens**t. I loved it. He told them and told them what they needed to do, they didn't do it figuring that Carl would just suck it up and go ahead with the tour dates, but he returned the group's touring contracts for May and June unsigned. Talk about an attention getter!

[the captain]

Unfortunately Carl's efforts didn't make a big difference in the grand scheme of things: maybe the shows improved upon his return, but the band never did become truly relevant again. They were more and more an oldies band. Their few remaining hits were more and more nostalgic. But hey, every band's time must come, right?

[tpesky]

I believed the Beach Boys truly stopped being a "rock and roll" band in 1980 and became an oldies band. 81-83 was transition with 1 last gasp Summer of 83, Carl back by then, all 6 on stage and then they had morphed into an oldies band by 1984 where they would remain.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I half-agree with you. KTSA was the end of them doing rock, but BB85 was their last non-oldie band album (with a couple of exceptions), as it tried to swing too far the other way.

[petsite]

More from Brad and Bruce:

Brad: "San Miguel" is still unreleased.

Bruce: Sitting in the can. One day we'll stick that out.

Brad; Walter Winnick with CBS was telling me it me it might get on a compilation album this year.

Bruce: Yeah, that will be on the compilation album. The compilation album, if we get It out, will be the best ... on level, the best album they'll ever have. Because it's gonna cover all the period from say '68,'69 on. It's gonna get the best of everything, like "'Til I Die," "Disney Girls," "Sail On, Sailor," "San Miguel." It's gonna have a lot of stuff on it.

Brad: I gather all of that stuff is no longer owned by Warner Brothers?

Bruce: Right.

Brad: It's now the property of the Beach Boys?

Bruce: Well it was never owned by Warner Brothers. It was leased. You never asked me about the "Fire" tapes? They're all there. Desper and I have assembled all that stuff. It's all there.

Brad: Is it going to come out?

Bruce: It's better not to put it out.

Brad: Why?

Bruce: 'Cause if you put it out now, it's going to be a disappointment. We're going to collage the "Smile" album in this cornpilation. We're gonna just take . . . go through the "Smile" album - Brian doesn't know this - and just take little sections of the tunes we have and put it out as kind of a sampler of the "Smile" album. 'Cause it'll be better as a teaser than the whole thing. It's great, but a lot of these things aren't finished. So it's better to go and collage them and ... for instance, if I played you the whole "Fire" part, it's Interesting, but it's kind of interesting like hearing Stravinsky do something.

Brad. "Fire" was just one part of an "Elements Suite."

Bruce: Oh, true, but it goes on and on and on and on.

Brad. Does the "Elements Suite" exist, completely?

Bruce: Everything's there.

Brad: The water section was somewhat similar to "Cool, Cool Water?"

Bruce; Mm-hrnrn.

Brad: The air section ... Brian has told someone.. . it's in an interview ... that "Air" was a piano Instrumental. Is that right?

Bruce: I'd have to just go back and look at everything. I'm just telling you the tapes are sitting around. We're just going to skim the "Smile" tapes and make a beautiful six-minute collage. You'll love it. It's better to do it that way, because musically now, as opposed to '66 or '67, it would be more interesting to just give you a peek at it than to do the whole thing. There's been too much press on it. It's like talking about bringing out the '67 Rolls Royce and they finally show it in '81. You go, "Oh, no."

Brad: When you left the Beach Boys, you said, you worked on "California Saga" and you worked on at least one or two cuts on "15 Big Ones."

Bruce: I think I've been on every album, except the ... uh ... what's the name of the album? 'The meditation album? You know, the album they did at ...

Brad: "MIU?"

Bruce. "MIU." That's the only one since'65, whether I've been in or out of the band, that's the only album I haven't worked on.

As fans, you can see why we were all so excited in 1981!!!

[Sheriff John Stone]

I always thought Ten Years Of Harmony was the strangest album title. Oh, I knew what it meant, but it was confusing.

Even though Ten Years Of Harmony was a quasi-attempt to make the Beach Boys look like "artists" with some of those Reprise selections, which song do they choose to release a single? A cover, an oldie, "Come Go With Me". What always amazed me was that it went Top 20! If they would've released it at the time of MIU, it probably would've tanked. Amazing.

When Carl returned to the group, the shows did improve quality-wise. Actually, the group did appear to have a more professional attitude. I think they (including Carl) were sick of the "stoned" performances. They cleaned their act up in a number of ways, and weren't going to tolerate some of that past insanity anymore. 

It's still hard to believe that Bruce was blackballed. And, the photo (from 1976) isn't one of the best. Strange album in many ways. And, they screwed up the eventual CD release by using the wrong versions of some of the tracks.

[c-man]

My biggest disappointment with the album when it came out (besides the lack of more exciting unreleased stuff...I mean "San Miguel" was great, but there was plenty more where that came from) was the lack of musician credits!  Still, I thought the remastered vinyl sounded great. 

[petsite]

Loved the remixed sound. And yes it was strange that an oldie was picked to be the single. But it sounded more like a hit than anything else. And it did go top 20 (along with the BB medley that year).

I also remember vividly MTV in 1982 showing a segment with Mark Goodman (the VJ) talking about a BB concert in Cleveland (of which they showed a part of) where the group had recorded their new single Runaway for release in the fall (recorded the song on June 11th at the Blossom Music Center). We know what happened there. And with their original version of California Dreaming....and the original version of California Calling......and Sweetie (with a Mike/Al/Brian lead vocal).....and so on. So much music that we didn't get to hear until later (although California Dreaming was released in'83).

And as for the screwed up US CD version of TYOH, at least all of the tracks have been release on other comps in the last nine years (except for the 45 mix of School Days).

[MBE]

I think it should have had all the single A sides and been in order. Of course that would have shown the steep decline from 1970-1980. Also WAY too low on Dennis stuff.
   
These are questionable choices.
Roller Skating Child (instead of the Night Was So Young?) 
Wontcha Come Out Tonight 
Darlin'  (Why not You Need A Mess Of Help for a rocker?)
Sea Cruise  (All the great unreleased Dennis and they pick this fun but slight track?)
Don't Go Near The Water
Deirdre 
She's Got Rhythm   
River Song (Why not a group song great as this is. Forever, Slip On Through etc.
Still it is a good album because this material hasn't been recycled to death. Still Elliot seemed to have an anti-Dennis bias Brother Years 3 proves that.

[c-man]

I think it should have had all the single A sides and been in order. Of course that would have shown the steep decline from 1970-1980. Also WAY too low on Dennis stuff.
   
These are questionable choices.
Roller Skating Child (instead of the Night Was So Young?) 
Wontcha Come Out Tonight 
Darlin'  (Why not You Need A Mess Of Help for a rocker?)
Sea Cruise  (All the great unreleased Dennis and they pick this fun but slight track?)
Don't Go Near The Water
Deirdre 
She's Got Rhythm   
River Song (Why not a group song great as this is. Forever, Slip On Through etc.
Still it is a good album because this material hasn't been recycled to death. Still Elliot seemed to have an anti-Dennis bias Brother Years 3 proves that.

Forever is on there, isn't it?  But yeah, how about Baby Blue or Only With You?