Al Jardine EP

[Foster's Freeze]

Just my opinion but BW and his minions are a bad cover band.  Get me a blanket and a pillow if I have to stay, otherwise, I'm out the door.

The groovy factor is not there with me.

Again, just my $.02

This is for another thread but is Brian back?

[The Shift]

Personally, I think BW's band's BVs are out-of-this-world. I love them, they are great.

I'm not quite understanding the hatred for these guys. If I thought they were "boyband" sounding or not up to the standards of the orginals, I would never have seen them hmm how many times... 13 times since 2004! I know some folks don't like them because they sound too much like the record unlike some of the other bands. I however enjoy that. It's AMAZING to see this stuff duplicated live. I never realized the amount of people it takes to play this stuff till I saw them live. Call me bias or whatever, but judging them on the basis of The Beach Boys themselves is just ridiculous. They are  two separate things and diss them all you want, but they are a good chunk of the reason Brian Wilson is back. Just saying.

Hope I haven't been mistaken in this -  I love the BW band and their harmonies -  yes, Not Dick Dale, B IS back and has been a while, whether on form or not; TLOS is solid proof of that.  I thought BW's band's harmonies were untouchable in current BBs-dom... until I heard these Al Jardine tracks. BW & Co are a GREAT cover band. Al's ensemble, however, sounds more like the real deal, and sounds like the real deal on top contemporary form.

[Smilin Ed H]

Here we go again.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

[Jason]

Objectivity has taken over our fine forum...I'm so proud.

Sweet dreams.

[Andrew G. Doe]

is[/b] Brian back?

Well...

In my heart, he's always been around. 

[TdHabib]

I just want to know when liking the BW band became a band thing.

[grillo]

I agree that the backgrounds are WAYYYYY better than the boy-band sound of BW's band and, and along with Mike's Cool Head prove that these guys are doing more justice to the BB legacy than BW has bothered trying. Does that sentence make sense...?

Jesus friggin' Christ...we've only been making this point for eons!

Way to take the Good Sheriff's and my idea as your own, though. Royalties, please.

Check's in the mail...

[the captain]

The issue, though, remains that they apparently don't want to. For better or worse, being in bands isn't the same as fantasy football. Fans don't draft players and rack up points. So it's all wishful thinking.

I could not disagree more. If a new Beach Boys' album was discussed, voted on, or actually negotiated by a record company (Capitol Records?), I could see the surviving Beach Boys - Mike, Bruce, David, and, yes, Al, hopping on that train - in a hurry.

Yes ... but you don't count in this, because you're a fan. Just as I don't count, because I'm a fan. It doesn't matter what we think could be the result of such a discussion. You think the actual guys are sitting around, wishing fans would raise the idea of a reunion so they could hop on board? Nobody ever thought of that before? They aren't asked it in every single fucking interview? C'mon, SJS. They aren't doing it because, for one reason or another, they don't want to.

[runnersdialzero]

EVERYBODY DANCE

[Wirestone]

This debate, if there is one, is based on a track that has vocals from dead and 20-year-younger members of the band. Any new recording would not -- could not -- sound like this.

[the captain]

Any new recording would not -- could not -- sound like this.

Right. Because keyboards don't include those sounds anymore. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

The issue, though, remains that they apparently don't want to. For better or worse, being in bands isn't the same as fantasy football. Fans don't draft players and rack up points. So it's all wishful thinking.

I could not disagree more. If a new Beach Boys' album was discussed, voted on, or actually negotiated by a record company (Capitol Records?), I could see the surviving Beach Boys - Mike, Bruce, David, and, yes, Al, hopping on that train - in a hurry.

Yes ... but you don't count in this, because you're a fan. Just as I don't count, because I'm a fan. It doesn't matter what we think could be the result of such a discussion. You think the actual guys are sitting around, wishing fans would raise the idea of a reunion so they could hop on board? Nobody ever thought of that before? They aren't asked it in every single friggin' interview? C'mon, SJS. They aren't doing it because, for one reason or another, they don't want to.

I know I don't "count", but that's not the purpose of my posts, or constantly bringing it up. I was simply offering an opinion (haven't we heard that recently?) on a message board. But I will disagree slightly that fans' thoughts or "wants" don't matter. Maybe the Beach Boys themselves don't read/listen to this stuff, but word does get out, and things get back to people, maybe even a record company person who is a fan and happens to read BB/BW message boards. I don't think James Guercio decided to release POB totally out of the goodness of his heart. He heard/read the "requests", I'm sure.

Of course The Beach Boys themselves aren't sitting around wishing fans would push for a reunion (well, I DO think Mike Love is), but this is the second consecutive post that you said that they (the group) don't want to do it - and again, I respectfully disagree. If an album deal from Capitol Records was offerred to Mike, Al, Bruce, and David, which gave them the opportunity to write, produce, and record music, - as The Beach Boys - I think they'd jump at it. Why wouldn't they? What better recording prospects do they have going? Why keep recording music that nobody hears? And that goes for Al Jardine, solo artist, too.

But, an album won't happen unless Brian is aboard, because I don't see any offer being made without Brian's participation. Now, if you want to say that Brian doesn't want to do it, you would have a better argument. But, because Brian has a problem telling the truth, I guess we won't know until it either happens or doesn't happen - and then I won't totally believe he didn't want to!

[the captain]

It's all well and good who believes or agrees or disagrees with whatever ... but I'm going by facts. They haven't gotten back together. It's common sense to assume everyone involves understands the business benefits for them getting back together. So someone (or someoneS) involved doesn't want to. I can THINK they want to all day long. I can BELIEVE they'd really love it if they did. But so far those thoughts and beliefs haven't really borne much fruit.

[Sheriff John Stone]

It's all well and good who believes or agrees or disagrees with whatever ... but I'm going by facts.

It's not a fact that the surviving don't want to record an album together. Just because they are not under contract to do one, or haven't done one in twenty years, doesn't mean they don't want to do one.

[the captain]

I think it's in his "Neither Victims Nor Executioners" where Camus says that at the end of a day, no matter how bad our circumstances, we're all responsible for our own situation in that we choose to remain in them (or, alternatively, remove ourselves from them ... in that case, in the ultimate sense). Whatever sinister outside factors are preventing the triumphant return of the Boys, I can't help but think perhaps they have had the primary say in not continuing to work together.

[Sheriff John Stone]

This is rock & roll, brother, and, at the end of the day, Camus never got the chance to research the Beach Boys' story. They defy all logic - or philosophy.

[the captain]

Not a lot that can be said in response to that, I guess. Hope your theory that all will end well comes true, because it would sure be a tragedy if all those living people somehow were denied the one thing they want most in the world.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Keep hope alive! Now go put on Under The Red Sky and re-listen to it with an open mind - and another glass of wine...

[the captain]

I am seriously pushing my limit...this is why I have a job. Not to make money, but to limit the time available for drinking.

[the captain]

OK, and to make money. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to the Muppet Movie soundtrack for the fifth or sixth time today.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

This debate, if there is one, is based on a track that has vocals from dead and 20-year-younger members of the band. Any new recording would not -- could not -- sound like this.

Mike's vocals are all new, as are Al's lead (I assume).  Instrumentally, Brian's Band is amazing!   Vocally, they aren't the Beach Boys.

[Nicko]

Can't say that I can see any point in comparing the various factions of the band now. I prefer just to judge any new songs on their own merit and I am pleasantly surprised by what Al's come up with (as I was with Mike's Cool Head, Warm Heart).

Don't Fight The Sea is a genuinely good recording imo with excellent vocals and a strong production.

Tidepool Interlude is pleasant musically and I never really mind the spoken word stuff that the band does. If it's a mistake, then at least it's the mistake of overreaching. The line, 'majesty moves through me majestically' is a shocker though.

Campfire Scene is a nice short lead up to California Saga.

Which is a decent cover and fits well with the other 3 tracks.

Bottom line for me is that as the band members haven't released that many good songs since Holland, so I'm happy to enjoy any that come along.

[the captain]

Don't Fight The Sea ... a strong production.

Disagree. Do you by chance like the Imagination production?

[Nicko]

Don't Fight The Sea ... a strong production.

Disagree. Do you by chance like the Imagination production?

You know, I think they may just have been produced by different people. And I don't consider the productions to be identical.

I do like the vocals on both Imagination on DFTS though.

[the captain]

Obviously they're produced by different people, and certainly they're not identical. But I think the biggest flaw in DFTS is its production, which has its adult contemporary cousin in Imagination. But, Al being Al, it's not just slick, it's gimmicky in spots. (No airplane sounds, though. Which is nice.)