THE BEACH BOYS PLAY MONTEREY POP

[KokoMoses]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but does anyone want to speculate as to what The Beach Boys set would have consisted of and how it might have been recieived?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Probably wouldn't be too dissimilar to the Hawaii set of that summer.

[KokoMoses]

Ah, well, if they did it "stripped down" (for lack of a better word) like Hawaii, it might not have gone over.... so well!

I just got done watching the Monterey Pop Blu-Ray, and I can't imagine them not going over well if they even played a typical for the time "Live In London" type set! Stripped shirts and all!

It's weird, watching that movie, they cut away to the certain audience members quite a bit, and it's a pretty horrifying. The Byrds are up there playing an amazing song and they cut to some girl who's sitting there like she's in the waiting room of a dentist's office with this confused/bored look on her face. When Laura Nyro's up there, they cut to this gorgeous hip blonde girl who's sitting with her arms folded and with the bitchiest expression off all-time. But I'm sure she was just looking at Laura with it sinking in that she was nowhere near as beautiful or as talented as Laura who was this total "unhip" chick wearing a tiara! Must've been rough!

But, anywho, I have a feeling those hipsters would've laughed at The Beach Boys perhaps, but would have been also singing and clapping along without even really realizing it!

[variable2]

Ah, well, if they did it "stripped down" (for lack of a better word) like Hawaii, it might not have gone over.... so well!

I just got done watching the Monterey Pop Blu-Ray, and I can't imagine them not going over well if they even played a typical for the time "Live In London" type set! Stripped shirts and all!

It's weird, watching that movie, they cut away to the certain audience members quite a bit, and it's a pretty horrifying. The Byrds are up there playing an amazing song and they cut to some girl who's sitting there like she's in the waiting room of a dentist's office with this confused/bored look on her face. When Laura Nyro's up there, they cut to this gorgeous hip blonde girl who's sitting with her arms folded and with the bitchiest expression off all-time. But I'm sure she was just looking at Laura with it sinking in that she was nowhere near as beautiful or as talented as Laura who was this total "unhip" chick wearing a tiara! Must've been rough!

But, anywho, I have a feeling those hipsters would've laughed at The Beach Boys perhaps, but would have been also singing and clapping along without even really realizing it!

well said.  "The beach boys aren't supposed to be hip. They're supposed to move you emotionally whether you like it or not." -Daryl Dragon (I think..)

[rogerlancelot]

I think it would have been closer to their late '66 set than the Hawaii shows. Certainly striped shirts. I believe it would have gone over similar to Sha Na Na at Woodstock: a lot of heckling. Disagree with me if you wish but I do not believe they would have played any SMiLE music since that project had already been shelved and it took Brian to work up "Heroes And Villains" for Hawaii. I do not believe he would have performed with the band had they played at Monterey.

[Chris Brown]

I think it would have been closer to their late '66 set than the Hawaii shows. Certainly striped shirts. I believe it would have gone over similar to Sha Na Na at Woodstock: a lot of heckling. Disagree with me if you wish but I do not believe they would have played any SMiLE music since that project had already been shelved and it took Brian to work up "Heroes And Villains" for Hawaii. I do not believe he would have performed with the band had they played at Monterey.

You're probably right about a lack of SMiLE material, excluding maybe "Heroes" (if Brian could have worked it up for the touring band in time).  The set list probably would have been heavy on Pet Sounds, with "Good Vibrations" and maybe something like "California Girls" thrown in. 

The only thing I disagree with is Brian...I think he would have made an exception and performed with the group.

[roll plymouth rock]

If you take a look at the original program/poster, you'll see that the Monterey 'house band' (tried to rustle it up quickly online to no avail...i know for sure this is in look listen vibrate smile, anyways) consisted of many members of the wrecking crew. remember, brother records recording equipment was used to record the event after all and the boys' only backed out a week or so before. what i am saying is i've always imagine the beach boys band being augmented by session musicians who were not only familiar with beach boys material, but had been playing on smile sessions and would be a natural fit for brian to unveil his new 'trip' to the world. so i see the beach boys touring group + brian + wrecking crew guys, doing a kind of hawaii '67 set but a little more lush

[Jon Stebbins]

If you take a look at the original program/poster, you'll see that the Monterey 'house band' (tried to rustle it up quickly online to no avail...i know for sure this is in look listen vibrate smile, anyways) consisted of many members of the wrecking crew. remember, brother records recording equipment was used to record the event after all and the boys' only backed out a week or so before. what i am saying is i've always imagine the beach boys band being augmented by session musicians who were not only familiar with beach boys material, but had been playing on smile sessions and would be a natural fit for brian to unveil his new 'trip' to the world. so i see the beach boys touring group + brian + wrecking crew guys, doing a kind of hawaii '67 set but a little more lush

I doubt that. If they'd used the Wrecking Crew in front of that audience it would have been an admission they weren't really a band. I'll agree with AGD that it would have been a truncated version of the Hawaii set. Probably Cal. Girls, Sloop John B., GV's, God Only Knows, H&V's...and Brian definitely would have participated. If the harmonies were tight the audience would have appreciated them as the best singers around, but still thought of them as a bit square. If Smile had been released that opinion would be less prevalent and shrinking fast.

[KokoMoses]

But if Brian was there, what would he have done? Sit at the piano? Would Bruce have been 86'd for that show like Hawaii? Probably so. And yeah, considering Brian showed up for Hawaii, he probably would've made Monterey!

I kinda suspect if they'd played Monterey Pop, even in stripped shirts, they would've gone over so well, they might have even made stripped shirts cool and hip! I think the general consensus was that everyone (yes, even Laura Nyro) was accepted and appreciated at Monterey. C'mon, if the Mamma's And The Papa's were considered hip (which of course they WERE, but...) the BBs would've have sailed through with flying colors!

Here's my dream set:

1. Wouldn't It be Nice
2. Help Me Rhonda
3. Heroes And Villians
4. Little Deuce Coop
5. Dance, Dance, Dance
6. God Only Knows
7. Good Vibrations
8. Barbara Ann

[18thofMay]

That set list is not good!!

[Bicyclerider]

Agree.  I would have liked to hear a set list like this:

Wouldn't It Be Nice (Al)
California Girls (Mike)
God Only Knows (Carl)
Heroes and Villains (Brian)
Surfer Girl (group)
Sloop John B (Al and Mike)
Wonderful (Carl)
Good Vibrations (Carl)
Caroline No (Brian)
Barbara Ann (group)

I think Surf's Up would have been a great song to throw in there (having been on the INside Pop special recently on TV), but let's be realistic . . . it wasn't going to happen.

[KokoMoses]

Yeah, I know it aint the greatest set of all-time, but I was trying to imagine what that actually MIGHT have played rather than what I would've wanted them to play..... which, is, like, kinda ass-backward, and beside the point!!! 

Ok, then here's what I would've wanted!!!!

1. Our Prayer
2. Heroes N Villians
3. Barnyard
4. Vegetables
5. Wouldn't It be Nice
6. When I Grow Up To Be A Man
7. You're So Good To Me
8. Calirfornia Girls
9. God Only Knows.
10. Good Vibrations
11. Barbara Ann

[Wrightfan]

The only way the Beach Boys would go there would be if SMiLE was completed.

Totally the right call by Brian. Still going would've hurt the band even more then we could fathom.

[18thofMay]

Brian stops touring to be more creative in the studio? Beatles stop touring to be more creative in the studio? Smile un-finished!-Pepper released!-Brian pulls The boys out of the festival!

[Surfer Joe]

What is a "stripped" shirt?  Whatever that means, I'm sure they would have gone over better at Monterey than the striped ones.

[DonnyL]

i think the fact that we can't quite figure out what they would have done and how they would have pulled it off is the exact reason that they didn't play it

but i always assumed it would be similar to the hawaii set as well ... i don't know how the striped shirts would have gone over, but i think people still respected the group around this time.  remember, this is really the show where hendrix first happened.  after all, the association played there and went over okay

[KokoMoses]

What is a "stripped" shirt?  Whatever that means, I'm sure they would have gone over better at Monterey than the striped ones.

I must've been thinking of Mike's "stripped-of shirt" period that came later! 

[Sheriff John Stone]

I always had a problem with the notion that the group backed out because they feared an unfavorable reception. Pet Sounds had a couple of hit singles, and non-surf & turf ones at that. "Good Vibrations" speaks for itself. I'm thinking of that 1966 poll that voted them the top group (in the world?), surpassing The Beatles. And, while the audience might've been hip, they WERE from California, and undoubtedly just spent their high school and college years listening to Beach Boys' records. Did they outgrow the group already? Also, it was an outdoor summer concert; the Beach Boys were in their element. Was "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" THAT much hipper than the Beach Boys' soon-to-be new single "Heroes And Villains"?

It is always reported that Brian pulled the group out. Is that true? Did he have that much power that it wasn't even taken to a vote? And he wasn't even touring at the time.

I don't see much of a problem coming up with a set list:

California Girls
Sloop John B
Surfer Girl (why not, there were several thoudand of them in attendance?)
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Heroes And Villains
Good Vibrators
either Fun, Fun, Fun or Barbara Ann or Surfin' USA (come on, you know the people would be clapping and dancing along)

[KokoMoses]

"Surfer Girl (why not, there were several thoudand of them in attendance?)"

LOVE THIS!!!!!!

[Jon Stebbins]

I always had a problem with the notion that the group backed out because they feared an unfavorable reception. Pet Sounds had a couple of hit singles, and non-surf & turf ones at that. "Good Vibrations" speaks for itself. I'm thinking of that 1966 poll that voted them the top group (in the world?), surpassing The Beatles. And, while the audience might've been hip, they WERE from California, and undoubtedly just spent their high school and college years listening to Beach Boys' records. Did they outgrow the group already? Also, it was an outdoor summer concert; the Beach Boys were in their element. Was "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" THAT much hipper than the Beach Boys' soon-to-be new single "Heroes And Villains"?

It is always reported that Brian pulled the group out. Is that true? Did he have that much power that it wasn't even taken to a vote? And he wasn't even touring at the time.

I don't see much of a problem coming up with a set list:

California Girls
Sloop John B
Surfer Girl (why not, there were several thoudand of them in attendance?)
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Heroes And Villains
Good Vibrators
either Fun, Fun, Fun or Barbara Ann or Surfin' USA (come on, you know the people would be clapping and dancing along)

I'll bet there were some females in the audience who would have truly appreciated the second to last song in your proposed set.

[Surfer Joe]

What is a "stripped" shirt?  Whatever that means, I'm sure they would have gone over better at Monterey than the striped ones.

I must've been thinking of Mike's "stripped-of shirt" period that came later! 

Dennis had a very brief "no pants" period, too, right?

I have always doubted the un-hip argument, too.  Actually, I had thought (until I checked just now) that Dionne Warwick had performed, but the fact that the Association were there makes the point just as well.  "Good Vibrations" should have given them all the credibility they needed. And when they smashed and burned their instruments during "Papa-Oo-Mow-Mow" Hendrix and the Who would have been totally upstaged.

Seriously, the Beach Boys have a pretty long history of showing up and getting over in a big way onstage. There have been a few selected blips in their fifty-year career as live performers- the no-show at Monterey, some criticism of the British '66 tour, and the Hawaii shows were not a highlight for various reasons.  But they have a great pedigree with getting audiences and critics on their side that continues to this day. People will knock them and knock them until they go see them, and then the response tends to be overwhelmingly positive.

[Dancing Bear]

Playing in Monterey or not was a non factor. The singles after Good Vibrations just didn't find an audience. Simples as that.

[BJL]

I feel like I heard a very odd story once about the Beach Boys not playing the festival because Mike Love didn't approve of some sponsor, or something like that...does anyone know what im talking about? 

that said, I think that the key to success would have been a) knocking the covers from the set, and b) as apposed to slowing everything down, speeding everything up.  I feel like the sets they were playing in 64 were waaay heavier/louder/faster/cooler than much of what was played at Monterey.  I mean, you just can't argue with those surf beats when they're going a million miles an hour and carl is wailing on the guitar and brian is wailing on the falsetto. 

[Roger Ryan]

I feel like I heard a very odd story once about the Beach Boys not playing the festival because Mike Love didn't approve of some sponsor, or something like that...does anyone know what im talking about? 

One story was the band pulled out of Monterey because Mike objected to Coca-Cola being a sponsor (thinking the soft drink was toxic). I seem to recall that it was Stephen Desper who reported it...maybe it's floating around in the archives of this board?

This seems a bit weird to me, since I seriously doubt other members of the Beach Boys were avoiding soft drinks at the time and their riders in the 70s requested Mountain Dew and such be provided backstage. In fact, isn't Mike seen blowing into an empty Coke bottle with the others in the "Good Vibrations" promo film? How could he stand being that close to such toxic waste?!

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

I feel like I heard a very odd story once about the Beach Boys not playing the festival because Mike Love didn't approve of some sponsor, or something like that...does anyone know what im talking about? 

that said, I think that the key to success would have been a) knocking the covers from the set, and b) as apposed to slowing everything down, speeding everything up.  I feel like the sets they were playing in 64 were waaay heavier/louder/faster/cooler than much of what was played at Monterey.  I mean, you just can't argue with those surf beats when they're going a million miles an hour and carl is wailing on the guitar and brian is wailing on the falsetto. 

I agree, and the band could've been significantly better by taking a different approach. They did slow the tempos down a lot from the surf period, and that was a mistake. They would have sounded much fuller had they let Bruce play piano/organ on the majority of the songs, and had Alan play bass guitar.

As a Beach Boys fan, it IS interesting to hear their performances from these periods; however, as a musician, they simply weren't a mind-blowing live act at that point. Even with limited talent, I believe they could've been a better act, simply by putting the work in.