Mike's musical abilities

[JR]

One thing I've always wondered about is how skilled Mike is as far as writing his own music.  We know he has done a great deal of work and made many contributions as a lyricist, but I'm curious if anyone on here is familiar with his abilities from the musical/notation side. I read that he wrote all the stuff on his latest solo album by himself. Does anyone know if this is true (because there are a couple good ones in there)?

[phirnis]

Always struck me as weird how someone deemed as downright unmusical as Mike could write something as elaborately beautiful as "Big Sur" on his very own. We know he did "Let The Wind Blow" almost on his own as well, right? IIRC someone once related the story of Mike coming up with the song/poem and Brian adding a bit of structure/melody later. Has anyone ever openly addressed Mike's writing abilities in an interview? When I had just become a fan I had read "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and so I was convinced he couldn't even play one single note on the piano, of course...

[Shane]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

I'd imagine it is hard to write a song using a saxophone, so I'd rule that one out.

[mikeyj]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I remember hearing once that Mike wrote "Brian's Back" on the guitar? Not sure how true it is though.

[shelter]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

I'd imagine it is hard to write a song using a saxophone, so I'd rule that one out.

Maybe he didn't use instruments, just his voice. Joe Meek (legendary British producer) wrote several hit songs and he couldn't play any instrument at all. When he learned a song to a band he just hummed it. So it is possible.

[The Heartical Don]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

I'd imagine it is hard to write a song using a saxophone, so I'd rule that one out.

Maybe he didn't use instruments, just his voice. Joe Meek (legendary British producer) wrote several hit songs and he couldn't play any instrument at all. When he learned a song to a band he just hummed it. So it is possible.

I was going to write pretty much the same comment. I don't know whether 'Telstar' was entirely done my Meek, but I can very well imaging someone hearing the basic chords of such a piece, and that classy melody all in his head. Brian didn't do everything on the piano or the bass. He solved a lyrical/musical problem in 'Melt Away' within less of a minute this way.

[Outie 315]

 Mike Love took a song about eating bananas and turned it into California Girls!
 Enough said……

[Rocker]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

I'd imagine it is hard to write a song using a saxophone, so I'd rule that one out.

Maybe he didn't use instruments, just his voice. Joe Meek (legendary British producer) wrote several hit songs and he couldn't play any instrument at all. When he learned a song to a band he just hummed it. So it is possible.

Yes, I believe Mike said in an interview that he hummed the melody to Carl who then looked for the chords on the guitar (or maybe piano)

Regarding "Let the wind blow": I'd really like to know how much Mike did and how much Brian. It's a fantastic song. The words are really great and the music is fitting. But I have a concert recording where Mike introduces this song as "a prayer that Brian put music to". And somewhere else I heard that Brian changed the melody a little, wrote the chords and did the arrangement, wich to me sounds like Mike just had an idea (plus the lyrics) but not much more than that

[Surfer Joe]

Mike definitely plays some guitar, I think that was established here once, possibly when his oldest daughter was on.

One great song that I think he had a lot to do with the melody for is "All I Wanna Do"- whichever spelling denotes the song on Sunflower...one of Mike's finest moments, along with "All This Is That".

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

(In my opinion) Mike is a incredibley versitile singer.

None of the other Beach Boys would have sung those early up-tempo rock songs nearly as well as Mike; the next best choice, probably being Dennis.

Despite his talent for those type of songs, Mike's best vocals are on the more relaxed numbers like 'All I Wanna Do' 'California Saga' and 'All This is That'.

I know it was discussed (and mostly shot down) elsewhere, but I would love to have a good biography of Mike. It's easy to view someone negatively when you can't understand (or misunderstand) where they're coming from. For all of the stuff that we do know and is discussed on this board, there's a lot of stuff we don't know too. 

[PongHit]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

Tannerin.

[Amanda Hart]

Mike definitely plays some guitar, I think that was established here once, possibly when his oldest daughter was on.

I remember her telling a story on here about him playing Brian's Back for her on the guitar while he was still working on it

[the captain]

One of the videos on youtube--KTSA sessions?--shows Mike at an organ or piano and he clearly knows what he is hitting. I'd guess that between that and guitar, he is more than capable of realizing the basics of the songs he writes. A person doesn't need to be capable of playing music s/he writes, after all, so long as s/he is capable of getting it "written" (either literally or figuratively, meaning documented so that someone else can decipher it).

I don't see a lot of real creativity in the harmonic aspects of his music, but he obviously had a great mind for popular music--much of which at the time was (heck, often still is) three to five chords per song. I'm sure he could play those basic progressions, at least in a basic key or two. And the more complex aspects could be handled by the others who were more fluent in that language.

[shelter]

I know it was discussed (and mostly shot down) elsewhere, but I would love to have a good biography of Mike.

Cheesy title suggestion #1: "Love Story".

[The Heartical Don]

I know it was discussed (and mostly shot down) elsewhere, but I would love to have a good biography of Mike.

Cheesy title suggestion #1: "Love Story".

Love Makes The World Go Round

[phirnis]

Love Will Tear Us Apart

[Matt H]

Looking Back With Love

[hypehat]

It's Only Love

[JR]

Good stuff.  Thanks for the info, everyone.  Kind of interesting that Mike doesn't flaunt any of that, even when he's knocked by his detractors.  If you're going off what he says, you'd think he's just a lyric man.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I got VERY close to actually shooting a documentary on Mike! We got in touch with his management and, Mike and Elliot Lott liked the idea apparently, and we were supoosed to discuss things when they got back from some "Beach Boys' tour... then we never heard anything! We didn't follow up either, so it still may have been salvagable. But this was a few years ago now.

It could've been great!

I think a feature length "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times docu on Mike would be wonderful!

Any ideas on the perfect title for such a thing???

[Pretty Funky]

Whats Love Got To Do With It.

My Life In Music.

[Dancing Bear]

This begs the question- if he indeed writes songs, what instrument does his use to write them?  Guitar?  Piano? 

I'd imagine it is hard to write a song using a saxophone, so I'd rule that one out.

Maybe he didn't use instruments, just his voice. Joe Meek (legendary British producer) wrote several hit songs and he couldn't play any instrument at all. When he learned a song to a band he just hummed it. So it is possible.

Yes, I believe Mike said in an interview that he hummed the melody to Carl who then looked for the chords on the guitar (or maybe piano)

Regarding "Let the wind blow": I'd really like to know how much Mike did and how much Brian. It's a fantastic song. The words are really great and the music is fitting. But I have a concert recording where Mike introduces this song as "a prayer that Brian put music to". And somewhere else I heard that Brian changed the melody a little, wrote the chords and did the arrangement, wich to me sounds like Mike just had an idea (plus the lyrics) but not much more than that

As far as I know, there are current members of the Beach Boys band reading and posting here. Hey, I guess that's a fair question to pass him, maybe he would even like to answer.   How much did he write of Let the Wind Blow, what did Brian change after his initial ideas? What instruments did he use to write the songs that only have his credit? Did he write any music for those Wilson/Love and Jardine/Love collaborations?

[Sheriff John Stone]

A person doesn't need to be capable of playing music s/he writes, after all, so long as s/he is capable of getting it "written" (either literally or figuratively, meaning documented so that someone else can decipher it).

This was the case with Jim Morrison and The Doors. Jim couldn't play any instruments, so he would sing the melody (and words) to the band; then Ray, Robby, and John would take it from there. But the original idea, melody, and words would be Jim's....

[Surfer Joe]

Mike definitely plays some guitar, I think that was established here once, possibly when his oldest daughter was on.

I remember her telling a story on here about him playing Brian's Back for her on the guitar while he was still working on it

There you go, thanks, hart- I've just learned not to trust my memory.  She was a cool breeze, wish she'd stuck around a little more.

As to the titles, this thread should be called "What Love Can Do".

[Dancing Bear]

A person doesn't need to be capable of playing music s/he writes, after all, so long as s/he is capable of getting it "written" (either literally or figuratively, meaning documented so that someone else can decipher it).

This was the case with Jim Morrison and The Doors. Jim couldn't play any instruments, so he would sing the melody (and words) to the band; then Ray, Robby, and John would take it from there. But the original idea, melody, and words would be Jim's....

Jim supposedly could play a bit of piano. Have you ever heard 'orange county suite'? A demo with vocals and piano recorded by Jim in Paris, and later overdubbed by the others in 97. The problem is, i've read that it's Jim playing the very simple piano, and I've read it's another fellow. But I guess it's Jim.

PS: Jim could very well never used an instrument to write the tunes for his Doors' songs.