Recently found some BW demos & outtakes and I liked from it the next songs:
Christine - melody is very charming, little grains of magic I hear there. & Brian's voice is oddly very cute.
Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love - Mike's singing is nasal but nevertheless pleasant to these ears. The harmonies, piano, the whole rhythm of the song - all is perfect. The music's beautiful! I didn't happen to listen to an original yet. Maybe it's better.
We Love You - good attempt at The RS psychedelia. Guitar riff is cool, as are repetitive voices of don't-know-who. Plus the Indian cry at the end is epic!
What Rock & Roll Can Do - it sounds like jazz. At first I didn't recognize Brian's voice but after several listens I tend to think it's him, or at least him with another additional singer. The song is filled with positivity and catchy which is plus point for liking it.
Mona - wow! Hearing Brian singing at the piano his own composition is a real treat! I don't even mind Brian's weak & damaged vocals.
On Christmas Day - the backing track sorta reminds me of Belles of Paris. No comments about Be My Baby drumbeat at the start. All in all, jolly benign & gracious song, shall include it on my black list. Btw, I like black color more than white.
Lazy Lizzie - what fascinates me in this ditty is that the verses are dark, mystic, while the chorus - folky or, say, ethnical. Regarding the verses Brian sounds there a lot like Marianne Faithfull: the same trembling not-enough-breath voice; keeping it in mind is funny. I wonder if Brian did it intentionally.
Elbow 64 - soundalike of Pom Pom Play Girl a bit. Strange title. Very rocking tune! Though I don't know who's the 2nd singer.
Beginning of The End - despite some rewinding tape sounds & talks, it is strikingly beautiful, guitar & harmonies, drums etc. As for the leads, Brian's young crystal clear voice is just mesmerizing!
Let's Get Tonight - gotta admit that I like this early take of The Waltz better than GIOMH cut.
Out in the Country - this sounds even more like Marianne Faithfull than Lazy Lizzie. Can't decipher who sings it. Al? Though I doubt. I recognized only 60s Brian saying commands to the singer.
Daddy's Little Girl is loaded with sunny feel, much optimism. Also it somewhat reminds me TLGIOK intro-wise, if I may say that. Very kind and cute song!
My Mary Anne - hilarious! Typical Brian composition, childlike a little. This is even more hilarious if consider that my name is also Marianne, though it spells in another way. It's like Brian sings in that humorous way about me despite I don't understand most of the words.
Slightly American Music - and there we have. The most favorite from all these demos. What an upbeat song! Arrangements are top-notch, Brian imitating Van Dyke = total fun. And that it has march elements makes the song the best of the heard cuts. I'll stop by now.
AWESOME post RR. I really enjoyed your comments on these rare tracks, quite a few of which don't get talked about much. I love Brian's demos, especially the 80s ones. You can really hear Brian reconnecting with his muse in them. Forget about the bitter aftertaste of the Landy Administration, and simply wonder at the sheer music pouring from our man Brian. One of my favorite tracks from that period is "Black Widow". I love the eerie verses, with Brian seemly paralyzed with fear upon spotting a black widow spider crawling up his wall, a very Smile-meets-Shortenin' Bread piano riff being hammered on throughout...then it shifts to a classic "Brian-pep-talk" lyric, with a soaring major key chorus..."Can't take it no more...can't take it nooooooo mooooore! The little things...that mean so much...to me!" Brilliant melody from Brian here, with a classic Brian lyrical sentiment. Can you imagine if this had made it to BB85? Instant Beach Boys Deep Cut.
Another song with has a similar dramatic shift in tone is "In My Car". A menacing verse with scary-sounding atonal vocals from Brian, into a high-speed and happy cheer-lead for "my car", where you can be the captain of your destiny. Straight-up BW Weirdness. Love it.
A song I think gets a unfair shake at the stick is "Living With A Heartache"...loved this song from the first time I heard it. Mellow, but tight instrumentation, a super Carl Wilson with some tasty country overtones, and is it me or is Terry Melcher on backing vocals here? Sounds like the Bruce and Terry Blend there. I'll think of some more tomorrow...
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