Who let Bruce write songs for the album?

[nobody]

I'm listening to Sunflower which I haven't done in a long time. I love Dennis' songs. Ever since hearing Little Bird I've resonated with Dennis' feel. The "My love is growin, your heart is knowin, our love is growin" part of Slip On Through is as meaningful to me as the "Gotta keep those lovin good, vibrations a-happening with you". But who let Bruce write songs for the album? I'd rather hear more from Mike or Al that Bruce. He was a McCartney worshipper, said so much himself with that idiotic comment about their song Michelle. Deirdre is a good song ... if you're one of the boys in The Brady Bunch. Anyone got any good tips in re-sequencing the album and remove the Bruce from it (also a product by Billy Mays - the Bruce Remover 3000)? Oh well, Steve Desper is God, right? He has an interesting style. Did he do any other records by other groups? He seems like a nicer and more loving version of Steve Albini. Or maybe it's just the two Steve's and my brain is satisfied with that. Sunflower has a great, bright sound.

Is anyone's favorite Beach Boy legitimately Alan Jardine? I find him absolutely delightful to look at, like a little gnome of a man. And he seems to be a beautiful person in how willingly dorky he is and yet within him you can see a deep man with a contemplative, considerate nature. Al Jardine has heart, but I think he's also a bit afraid of questioning the authority of the world. He's the sort of guy who would ruffle his eyebrows in astonishment if you spoke about anything unusual. Or, he'd listen attentively and then pause for a moment, "Wellll, yes, that is a way to see it, but ... " and give this sobered gnomish take on things like how George Harrison is like a little gentle wizard. But Al had one of the most distinct and strong voices in the Beach Boys, all the more strange that he was the dwarf of the group.

EDIT: while I was making this thread I lost my internet connection and had to restart my computer to get it back, canceling and my train of thought. But in the meantime I recorded some ghitarr playing if you want to hear what I did in the minute or so waiting for the computer to load again. http://www.sendspace.com/file/pmab1q.

[Aegir]

Deirdre and Tears in the Morning are some of my favorite Beach Boys songs. I wish Bruce wrote more in that style.

[nobody]

Deirdre and Tears in the Morning are some of my favorite Beach Boys songs. I wish Bruce wrote more in that style.

That's f***ed up.

The two people who should've been all over Sunflower are Dennis & Carl. The rest should've took backseat. Obviously excluding Brian but I think D & C could've done great things together by themselves.

[halblaineisgood]

What about Disney Girls? If you don't like Disney Girls, you must really be anti-Bruce.  


I'd Watch what you say around here or else I'm gonna find you and run you down in my little cobra. And then sir, you are going to be crying tears in the morning. The trouble you had, wasn't so bad!!! Huh??!?Not nearly as bad as being run over by a little cobra.......

[nobody]

What about Disney Girls? If you don't like Disney Girls, you must really be anti-Bruce.  


I'd Watch what you say around here or else I'm gonna find you and run you down in my little cobra. And then sir, you are going to be crying tears in the morning. The trouble you had, wasn't so bad!!! Huh??!?Not nearly as bad as being run over by a little cobra.......

Disney Girls ... the title says it all.

Have some taste, halblaineisgoo

[SG7]

I am probably one of the few that likes Goin' Public. 

[Aegir]

Haven't heard the whole album, but I hate what he did to Deirdre on that. Completely sucked all the life out of it.

[Nicko1234]

Disney Girls is a great song. Deirdre and The Nearest Faraway Place are both good songs and some of Bruce`s other stuff with the band isn`t bad at all either.

[PongHit]

This made me laugh:

Deirdre is a good song ... if you're one of the boys in The Brady Bunch.

This did not:

also a product by Billy Mays - the Bruce Remover 3000)?

Anyway, "Deirdre" is a wimpy tune, & I don't dig it.  However, I enjoy the INSTRUMENTAL "Tears" track a lot!

[Sciencefriction]

Bruce may not be the most artistic Beach Boy to ever grace us, but his songs on Sunflower and Surf's Up are beautiful.  I don't understand how some people talk so highly about albums like Today and Pet sounds, which have happy and sad themes but can't accept the sad themes (by Bruce) on Sunflower.  I would go far enough to say that's Bruce's songs on Sunflower are hopeful and optimistic, and show the power of pain and growing from it.  I can understand people having different tastes musically; I'll admit there isn't much about Bruce's music output that I like post-1971, but I think he was perfectly insynch with the Beach Boys at that time.  To answer your original question, I'm not sure how to re-sequence Sunflower without Bruce's songs, but you could always add songs like Lady Love and/or Soulful Ol' Man Sunshine.  You lose that emotional balance I spoke of, but for me those are two of the strongest songs from around that time.  

[Sheriff John Stone]

Bruce may not be the most artistic Beach Boy to ever grace us, but his songs on Sunflower and Surf's Up are beautiful.  I don't understand how some people talk so highly about albums like Today and Pet sounds, which have happy and sad themes but can't accept the sad themes (by Bruce) on Sunflower.  I would go far enough to say that's Bruce's songs on Sunflower are hopeful and optimistic, and show the power of pain and growing from it.  I can understand people having different tastes musically; I'll admit there isn't much about Bruce's music output that I like post-1971, but I think he was perfectly insynch with the Beach Boys at that time.  To answer your original question, I'm not sure how to re-sequence Sunflower without Bruce's songs, but you could always add songs like Lady Love and/or Soulful Ol' Man Sunshine.  You lose that emotional balance I spoke of, but for me those are two of the strongest songs from around that time.  

A lot of good points there, Sciencefriction. Bruce did fit in nicely during that 1965-1972 period. Regarding Sunflower, while I can't say "Deidre" and "Tears In The Morning" are two of my favorite Beach Boys' songs, in a funny way they also seemed to "fit" on that album. Simply flip-flopping their positions on the album - end Side A with "Tears", begin Side B with "Deidre", would've improved their effectiveness.

[variable2]

at least listen to deirdre and disney girls for the wonderful brian wilson falsetto background vox

[the captain]

And whatever you think of his songwriting (I think it's schmaltzy, but some of it is decent), he is a talented guy. I know it's cooler to fawn over the Wilsons, but they didn't choose Bruce back in 1965 because he was a suck-up. (Well, maybe they did ... but he offered a lot more than that.) "I think the least known Beach Boy, Bruce Johnston, was probably the most talented of the gang, along with Brian, of course. ... [Y]ou could hear this mountain of talent pouring out of the Hammond B-3." - Hal Blaine, "Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew," p70.

[nobody]

Bruce's voice may just be the sweetest on "God Only Knows". He always sung with a sort of purity.

[variable2]

you know, there is a recording of a party with BW and Bruce and some other folks around a piano (which I may or may not have heard), where Brian begs Bruce to play Disney Girls because he said when he first heard it it took him "off of the earth."  Then Brian sings his old background vocal part, that, as Bruce reveals, he had Brian sing on the recording because Bruce couldn't sing the notes right. "Church, bingo chances, and old time dances"

[nobody]

you know, there is a recording of a party with BW and Bruce and some other folks around a piano (which I may or may not have heard), where Brian begs Bruce to play Disney Girls because he said when he first heard it it took him "off of the earth."  Then Brian sings his old background vocal part, that, as Bruce reveals, he had Brian sing on the recording because Bruce couldn't sing the notes right. "Church, bingo chances, and old time dances"

that sounds like a great recording, where may i find it? i love hearing Brian at the piano or anywhere near it. like those cocaine and hamburger sessions with dennis

[variable2]

you know, there is a recording of a party with BW and Bruce and some other folks around a piano (which I may or may not have heard), where Brian begs Bruce to play Disney Girls because he said when he first heard it it took him "off of the earth."  Then Brian sings his old background vocal part, that, as Bruce reveals, he had Brian sing on the recording because Bruce couldn't sing the notes right. "Church, bingo chances, and old time dances"

that sounds like a great recording, where may i find it? i love hearing Brian at the piano or anywhere near it. like those cocaine and hamburger sessions with dennis

careful discussing things like this in the open now.

you might want to look at your pms.

[the captain]

you know, there is a recording of a party with BW and Bruce and some other folks around a piano (which I may or may not have heard), where Brian begs Bruce to play Disney Girls because he said when he first heard it it took him "off of the earth."  Then Brian sings his old background vocal part, that, as Bruce reveals, he had Brian sing on the recording because Bruce couldn't sing the notes right. "Church, bingo chances, and old time dances"

Is that the one with Stamos (bless him) where they run through parts of quite a few songs--probably 20-30? If so, I love that: Bruce keeps trying to show Brian what they're doing with "Caroline No" in the live show, and every time he starts, Brian goes off in other directions. You can't tell if he doesn't care, or is messing with Bruce, or what.

[variable2]

you know, there is a recording of a party with BW and Bruce and some other folks around a piano (which I may or may not have heard), where Brian begs Bruce to play Disney Girls because he said when he first heard it it took him "off of the earth."  Then Brian sings his old background vocal part, that, as Bruce reveals, he had Brian sing on the recording because Bruce couldn't sing the notes right. "Church, bingo chances, and old time dances"

Is that the one with Stamos (bless him) where they run through parts of quite a few songs--probably 20-30? If so, I love that: Bruce keeps trying to show Brian what they're doing with "Caroline No" in the live show, and every time he starts, Brian goes off in other directions. You can't tell if he doesn't care, or is messing with Bruce, or what.

that's the one..  and several times brian says "check out this new song i wrote" and it's just the shortenin' bread riff.  it's fun to hear how excited Brian is when someone calls Little Honda.  "Little Honda?!  I'm gonna wake you up early.."

[hypehat]

er.... that only sounds amazing. can one possibly tell me more about it? 

[mtaber]

I have to say, this is one of the all-time great thread titles...

[Reggie Dunbar]

I have been waiting for Bruce to show up here for years, and he seems
sensitive to criticism, but these kind of jabs questioning his musical integrity
likely stick in his craw the most and keep him over at the Blue Board. Yes, we
all know he's schmalzy and doesn't have a rocking bone in his body, but his
presence in the band has always been beneficial. He has dedicated his entire
life to standing in someone else's VERY large shoes, been there and done that.
He is a grammy winning writer, has provided his beautiful voice to some of the
finest music ever recorded, and seems to be a good family man too. I'm going
to step down from the soapbox now, someone had to write this because it's
obvious I'm not alone in my respect and admiration for this gifted and slighted
man.

[nobody]

I have been waiting for Bruce to show up here for years, and he seems
sensitive to criticism, but these kind of jabs questioning his musical integrity
likely stick in his craw the most and keep him over at the Blue Board. Yes, we
all know he's schmalzy and doesn't have a rocking bone in his body, but his
presence in the band has always been beneficial. He has dedicated his entire
life to standing in someone else's VERY large shoes, been there and done that.
He is a grammy winning writer, has provided his beautiful voice to some of the
finest music ever recorded, and seems to be a good family man too. I'm going
to step down from the soapbox now, someone had to write this because it's
obvious I'm not alone in my respect and admiration for this gifted and slighted
man.

Bruce is a big boy now, if he allows himself to be hurt by playful threads like this then he should take a few months off and examine his mind. Besides, Bruce played the organ solo on How She Boogalooed It, right? I love that song and solo!

[Surfer Joe]

I feel obliged to man up here and say that "Deirdre" is one of my favorite post-Capitol Beach Boys songs and I can't imagine Sunflower without it.  Wouldn't want to change that excellent album one bit.

[nobody]

I feel obliged to man up here and say that "Deirdre" is one of my favorite post-Capitol Beach Boys songs and I can't imagine Sunflower without it.  Wouldn't want to change that excellent album one bit.

When was "When Girls Get Together" recorded? From memory it sounds like it was that same period of time. I'd exchange that for "Tears In The Morning". If it weren't for the slightly wandering melody the former would be a truly great song I think. Or maybe that's what makes it so great already.