Brian Reimagines Gershwin

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

If Brian had a laptop with internet access in 1950whenever would he devote as much attention to learning the Four Freshman? Or would he just put them in his 100gig music folder next to the porn?

  That second part just killed me.

[Shady]

Up to 2 on amazon

[nobody is a chode]

If Brian had a laptop with internet access in 1950whenever would he devote as much attention to learning the Four Freshman? Or would he just put them in his 100gig music folder next to the porn?

  That second part just killed me.

/b/ for Brian!!

[rogerlancelot]

Up to 2 on amazon

Was #5 yesterday. Go, Bri!

[Emdeeh]

Well, I can't buy the album itself until payday, but I did have enough credit in iTunes to download the bonus track, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."

So the answer to our earlier question is yes, you can buy just the one bonus track without buying the whole album on iTunes. 

[oldsurferdude]

Where did you guys buy your copies?

Anyone have trouble finding one?

There was an ample supply at Best Buy-saw someone with a copy in check out.

[Runaways]

how's "let's call the whole thing off"? worth it?

[Wirestone]

Worth a buck, probably. Not worth 10.

[TdHabib]

I got the album today and listened to it twice--extraordinary. Brilliant arranging and great vocals is all I can say. Brian's singing better than he has in a long, long time. Beautiful album all in all.

[jeffcdo]

So the answer to our earlier question is yes, you can buy just the one bonus track without buying the whole album on iTunes. 

Well that's good news!  I take back my entire earlier rant.

[Emdeeh]

Worth a buck, probably. Not worth 10.

"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is not even a buck -- it's $0.99, so yeah it's worth it, even if you're only being a completist.  

Personally, I think it's light-hearted and fun, a little bit jazzy and rootsy duet between Brian and Taylor.

[nobody is a chode]

Just upload it to YouTube with a non-obvious title so it takes longer for the pleasure-haters to find it and remove it.

[Myk Luhv]

allmusic chimes in with a review from John Bush [at least it's not Stephen Thomas Erlewine!]. There's no score yet and although the review is positive I'm sure it'll get some weird numerical value when it finally does get a star rating!

During his five decades of music-making, Brian Wilson has added countless songs to the canon of great American pop music, but he hasn't recorded many by other composers. Still, his affection for the work of George Gershwin is long, and quite evident from this tribute album. In it, Wilson presents 11 classics from Gershwin's pen, and received the blessing of the Gershwin  estate to finish two incomplete songs, "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love." As usual, Wilson's musical instincts are impeccable, and with a full orchestra lending additional weight to these songs, it's easily the best production on a Brian Wilson record since 2004's SMiLE. (It doesn't hurt that the lyrics as well as the music are tried and true; most of Wilson's solo output, and much of the Beach Boys' after 1967, has suffered from trite or tone-deaf lyrics.) Wilson is also in fine voice for his age, finding the pathos in "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" during a four-song medley, and even multi-tracking his vocals for the first time on the opener, a nearly a cappella version of "Rhapsody in Blue." "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'" is done up, as an instrumental, in full Pet Sounds  splendor (complete with bass harmonica), while "I Got Rhythm" is neatly transformed into an uptempo nugget to rank with "Surfin' U.S.A." or "Little Honda." Wilson's normal studio group is augmented here with an orchestra (the arrangements and orchestrations are by Wilson and Paul Von Mertens), and they stay to the background except when needed -- just one of the many fine touches to the entire production here. Granted, Wilson's bouncy take on "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is never going to compete with Ella Fitzgerald's (or even Julie London's), and "'S Wonderful" is nearly blanded out into easy listening oblivion, but nearly everything else here is loving, sincere, and worthy of hearing by fans of the Beach Boys or Broadway.

I found the review kind of boring since it doesn't really say much about the arrangements or the singing. Just that they're both well done -- I mean, yeah, that's great to hear but... duh?

[Runaways]

they prob give it 3.5.  allmusic's beach boy related reviews are annoying.  and every beatles recording is a 5 star.

anyway. anyone else love how he says "and drive me mad" in i loves you porgy?  so quirky. i dig it. tough to do myself.

also my mom loves the album, which is cool since she's familiar with a lot of versions of the tunes.  and she actually prefers brian's voice nowadays

[Ron]

A really smart review.

Not sure if I agree with all of it, but read the whole thing. It captures something important about this record.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/brian-wilson-brian-wilson-reimagines-gershwin/2210

To be honest, I stopped reading about the third paragraph because the write is insistant on using $10 words where quarters would suffice.  Seemed like the article was more about his thesaurus than about Brian Wilson or George Gershwin.  LOL

[Ron]

Bloody Hell, was Van Dyke Parks the guest reviewer or something???

Van Dyke does seem to use an expansive vocabulary, but he never takes himself seriously.  So in the end, he's tolerable, even likeable. 

[Ron]

Where did you guys buy your copies?

Anyone have trouble finding one?

I went to best buy, and couldn't find it.  Looked around for 10 minutes.  Didn't know what section to even look in, and they only have about 4 rows of cd's now anyways. 

EVENTUALLY, I used a kiosk computer which told me that they had a whopping 3 copies in stock on launch day at 11am.  So I went back to the pop/rock section, and noticed there were 5 shelves of "Charlie Wilson" albums. Now I'll admit Charlie Wilson is pretty fucking cool, but I dont' know about 5 shelves.  Behind the top shelf, were the 3 Brian albums, along with a nice card that said "Brian Wilson".  So I moved Charlie down to the next row, (cramping his stylel a bit since now he only has 4 shelves of albums on display)... took 1 copy, and left the other two copies exposed so maybe somebody would see it and pick it up. 

[Ron]

On the way home, I listened to the last few tracks, then started over again and listened to the first half again.

"Someone to Watch Over Me" is just gorgeous.  I have never, flat out never heard Brian sing like that.  Brian's entire career he's sang like a rockstar; early in his career he had the beautiful voice and did things with it nobody else was doing.  In his solo career most of his stuff has been shouted, or even when he sang it with emotion he always sounded crazy to be honest.  I love it all but man this song sounds the most natural, content and 'in touch' that I have ever heard Brian, and that's including his Beach Boys stuff!  I guess you could say he was pretty dead on it when he did things like the Surf's up Demo, but even then he was doing vocal gymnastics and showing off as part of the song.  Here's about the first song I've ever heard him sing straight, relying completely on the arrangement, the production, and the song to carry it, and not his voice.  It's one of the most believeable songs he's ever done; you know he feels it because he's not trying to sell it.  Incredible!

"Nothing but Love" was well done but not on the level of some of the other songs on the album.  After listening back through to some, the standouts to me off the top of my head are definately Someone to Watch over Me, I Got Rhythm, It Aint' Necessarily So (great!), and They can't take that away from me.  Those 4 are just fantastic.  S'Wonderful is awesome as well.  So make it 5... to me those 5 stand well above the rest.  No album can have nothing but top songs though, so the others help make the package flow well.  It's something to see, too, that he made every friekin' song have a different sound to it.  What a great piece of work!

[nobody is a chode]

On the way home, I listened to the last few tracks, then started over again and listened to the first half again.

"Someone to Watch Over Me" is just gorgeous.  I have never, flat out never heard Brian sing like that.  Brian's entire career he's sang like a rockstar; early in his career he had the beautiful voice and did things with it nobody else was doing.  In his solo career most of his stuff has been shouted, or even when he sang it with emotion he always sounded crazy to be honest.  I love it all but man this song sounds the most natural, content and 'in touch' that I have ever heard Brian, and that's including his Beach Boys stuff!  I guess you could say he was pretty dead on it when he did things like the Surf's up Demo, but even then he was doing vocal gymnastics and showing off as part of the song.  Here's about the first song I've ever heard him sing straight, relying completely on the arrangement, the production, and the song to carry it, and not his voice.  It's one of the most believeable songs he's ever done; you know he feels it because he's not trying to sell it.  Incredible!

"Nothing but Love" was well done but not on the level of some of the other songs on the album.  After listening back through to some, the standouts to me off the top of my head are definately Someone to Watch over Me, I Got Rhythm, It Aint' Necessarily So (great!), and They can't take that away from me.  Those 4 are just fantastic.  S'Wonderful is awesome as well.  So make it 5... to me those 5 stand well above the rest.  No album can have nothing but top songs though, so the others help make the package flow well.  It's something to see, too, that he made every friekin' song have a different sound to it.  What a great piece of work!

I don't think Brian sang like a rockstar or was doing unnecessary vocal gymnastics and showing off in most of his stuff. You really think his vocal on You Still Believe In Me is showing off? Or sounding like a rockstar? What are you on? Duster?

[The Heartical Don]

I love this thread, esp. because I yet have to hear 90% of the album. My impression is that it will sell well. Taken together, the sentiments expressed make me believe that this album arrives at exactly the right time. There's a lot of trouble going on in the world, natural disasters, fighting, political upheaval; and people are generally overloaded with information that is unfiltered. All of this is unsettling, even for the calmest of minds.

And then Brian releases a romantic, old-fashioned, well-arranged and sung, soothing, nostalgic album. Great for late night listening with the TV off, in the presence of a loved one. Medicine for the soul.

Am I right?

[nobody is a chode]

I love this thread, esp. because I yet have to hear 90% of the album. My impression is that it will sell well. Taken together, the sentiments expressed make me believe that this album arrives at exactly the right time. There's a lot of trouble going on in the world, natural disasters, fighting, political upheaval; and people are generally overloaded with information that is unfiltered. All of this is unsettling, even for the calmest of minds.

And then Brian releases a romantic, old-fashioned, well-arranged and sung, soothing, nostalgic album. Great for late night listening with the TV off, in the presence of a loved one. Medicine for the soul.

Am I right?

Yeah, something does feel right about it.

It's a very comforting album. The message is : Love

Our love is here to stay.

I think you'll dig it.

[The Heartical Don]

I love this thread, esp. because I yet have to hear 90% of the album. My impression is that it will sell well. Taken together, the sentiments expressed make me believe that this album arrives at exactly the right time. There's a lot of trouble going on in the world, natural disasters, fighting, political upheaval; and people are generally overloaded with information that is unfiltered. All of this is unsettling, even for the calmest of minds.

And then Brian releases a romantic, old-fashioned, well-arranged and sung, soothing, nostalgic album. Great for late night listening with the TV off, in the presence of a loved one. Medicine for the soul.

Am I right?

Yeah, something does feel right about it.

It's a very comforting album. The message is : Love

Our love is here to stay.

I think you'll dig it.

Thank you, mr Burr sir!

[hypehat]

I love this thread, esp. because I yet have to hear 90% of the album. My impression is that it will sell well. Taken together, the sentiments expressed make me believe that this album arrives at exactly the right time. There's a lot of trouble going on in the world, natural disasters, fighting, political upheaval; and people are generally overloaded with information that is unfiltered. All of this is unsettling, even for the calmest of minds.

And then Brian releases a romantic, old-fashioned, well-arranged and sung, soothing, nostalgic album. Great for late night listening with the TV off, in the presence of a loved one. Medicine for the soul.

Am I right?

You're right, they don't make 'em like this anymore.

You're in for a treat, Mr. Don (I was weak and jumped the gun on listening to it, so to speak). I strongly advise following Mr. Taber's example and listening to 'A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night' to tide you over until the 6th - The two are on the same wavelength of peace, good vibes, nice wine and old time movies.

[The Heartical Don]

I love this thread, esp. because I yet have to hear 90% of the album. My impression is that it will sell well. Taken together, the sentiments expressed make me believe that this album arrives at exactly the right time. There's a lot of trouble going on in the world, natural disasters, fighting, political upheaval; and people are generally overloaded with information that is unfiltered. All of this is unsettling, even for the calmest of minds.

And then Brian releases a romantic, old-fashioned, well-arranged and sung, soothing, nostalgic album. Great for late night listening with the TV off, in the presence of a loved one. Medicine for the soul.

Am I right?

You're right, they don't make 'em like this anymore.

You're in for a treat, Mr. Don (I was weak and jumped the gun on listening to it, so to speak). I strongly advise following Mr. Taber's example and listening to 'A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night' to tide you over until the 6th - The two are on the same wavelength of peace, good vibes, nice wine and old time movies.

Hey - I was just in the mood to purchase a CD today, and did not know which one... now I know! Thank you! 

[absinthe_boy]

OK got a CD while I await the vinyl.

First impressions....it is a warm album, in that it makes me feel warm. Brian almost pulls off "I Loves You Porgy" which is quite something. Summertime, Someone To Watch Over Me and I Got Plenty O Nuttin stand out. I wonder if 'They Can't Take That Away From Me' might be a hit if released as a single.

What this is....is *interesting*. I'm reasonably familiar with Gershwin but I bet this album will make people who are not familiar with him realise just how many of his compositions they have heard without realising it. Its not quite what you'd expect from Brian Wilson, it is great to see him doing something unexpected...like pulling a bison from his hat when you expected a rabbit. And I don't mean that in a bad way...I just mean this album doesn't quite come from anywhere his previous work came from.

Sound quality is head and shoulders above TLOS.