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[Analogman]

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[Analogman]

Pretty Darn Close -- Beach Boy Al Jardine On His New Solo Album, Plus SMILE

 

Are there plans for a new Beach Boys archival project?

 

Capitol Records plans to issue a Beach Boys version of Smile sometime this summer to begin the celebration of The Beach Boys’ anniversary. Smile is the Holy Grail for Beach Boys’ fans, so it will be good.

 

I don’t have many details on it, although we didn't do any new recording. I'm happy to see it finally come out. Brian’s changed his mind about releasing the material, but it was inevitable, wasn’t it? (Al chuckles).

 

We've heard this before, but maybe it will happen this time. I hope they don't do "any new recording" - just put the album out as it is. Some of it did come out officially on The Beach Boys box set.

 

I guess I now know why I had this song stuck in my head yesterday:

The Beach Boys - Wind Chimes

 

Also, a great book:

Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile (Domenic Priore)

[dtram]

Pretty Darn Close -- Beach Boy Al Jardine On His New Solo Album, Plus SMILE[/url

 

We've heard this before, but maybe it will happen this time. I hope they don't do "any new recording" - just put the album out as it is. Some of it did come out officially on The Beach Boys box set.

 

I guess I now know why I had this song stuck in my head yesterday:

The Beach Boys - Wind Chimes

 

Also, a great book:

Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile (Domenic Priore)

 

I hope the smile stuff does come out to see what, if anything, is left in vaults that hasn't appeared on boots or the boxed set and to get clean copies of all of it. Actually surprised mike love gave his blessing, guess he smells the cash.

 

After Brain Wilson Presents Smile came out in '04' some guy named fast Eddie came out with a mix which was all the '66 -'67 era stuff sequenced exactly as brian sequenced it in '04 and I'd say 97 to 98% of the music was the same, just a few orchestral segues were added and about 70% of the words were there. I've never seen it explicitly stated what lyrics were new but we know from interview that do you like worms had lyrics in '66 so it seems part of child is father, song for children, on a holiday, and in blue Hawaii were written in '04.

 

That Priore book is a great scrapbook of all smile related stuff but his theories about smile, that it was to be a half instrumental album never rang true to me and i think he's been proven wrong. I just couldn't imagine that Brian, going out on the limb that he was anyway, would say, ok, I'm going to take this amazing vocal group and use them on half this record which is already stretching what we do anyway. Brian just never got around to finishing the vocals in '67' plain and simple.

[Analogman]

That book is great. The dude was a bit how shall we say - determined. I was going to post a link to his site/blog, but I don't think it has been updated in a couple of years.

 

It will be nice to hear an officially released version. I only hope they don't mess it up by adding new overdubs, or editing out a bunch of stuff.

 

The other rumors are that they are going to do a tour, and Al and Brian will be included. I just hope they don't release all the cds again, as I have bought all of them three times now. I think the got it right the last time. But Capitol may of course do it in order to grab some money while they push the whole anniversary deal.

[dtram]

That book is great. The dude was a bit how shall we say - determined. I was going to post a link to his site/blog, but I don't think it has been updated in a couple of years.

 

It will be nice to hear an officially released version. I only hope they don't mess it up by adding new overdubs, or editing out a bunch of stuff.

 

The other rumors are that they are going to do a tour, and Al and Brian will be included. I just hope they don't release all the cds again, as I have bought all of them three times now. I think the got it right the last time. But Capitol may of course do it in order to grab some money while they push the whole anniversary deal.

Lol, that is a kind way of describing him. Smile getting finished was actually the worst thing to happen to him because his theories were disproven and rendered him irrelevant. The book is great though for what it is.

 

I think they said no overdubs, I don't think they'd fuck this up by doing that but stranger things have happened.

 

I'm really not interested in a reunion tour unless it has brian's whole band and even then, it will will probably be just greatest hits shows which really aren't interesting to me. Brian's shows have started to lean heavily this way anyway. I was hoping he's start playing more of his solo stuff and deeper tracks after the pet sounds and smile tours but he kinda went the other way.

 

And for re-issue's they can make all they want, I ain't buyin', other than the smile box. I have it all anyway and really, how much better can you make it sound? They'd probably just remaster it loud.

[Analogman]

Do you have all the Sea of Tunes boots? I actually don't have any of them. I was digging around for them a while back, but all I could find were crappy Mp3 rips. I don't really want to mess with them unless I can find them all in FLAC.

 

It's not really The Beach Boys without Carl and Dennis anyhow. The current band, as well as Brian's band have actually played here where I live. But I didn't go to either of the shows.

 

I know someone who met Brian a few years ago. They said he seemed as if he had no idea what was going on around him.

[dtram]

Do you have all the Sea of Tunes boots? I actually don't have any of them. I was digging around for them a while back, but all I could find were crappy Mp3 rips. I don't really want to mess with them unless I can find them all in FLAC.

 

It's not really The Beach Boys without Carl and Dennis anyhow. The current band, as well as Brian's band have actually played here where I live. But I didn't go to either of the shows.

 

I know someone who met Brian a few years ago. They said he seemed as if he had no idea what was going on around him.

 

I don't have any of the sea of tunes, just some individual smile cd boots, the 3 record colored vinyl boot and a cd boot of the heroes & villians sessions.

 

It's not the beach boys w/o carl & dennis and the thought of Mike Love prancing around shaking his 70 year old ass like he's 20 makes me sick. Does he think anyone finds that attractive? It's actually kind of skeevy (sp?) Too bad you didn't see brian's band, just an amazing collection of musicians. You probably know that Paul Mertens, who played in the Total Pro's horns for Wilco is in the band but the whole ensemble is just great. Seeing Pet Sounds and Smile live played by those folks was one of the top concert thrills of my life.

 

As for Brian, i think emotionally he's 6. The years of abuse, followed by the drugs landy gave followed by whatever the hell he's on now have made him shell, although if you've ever seen the beutiful dreamer doc, he is remarkably coherent in that, wonder what he was on? Haven't met him, don't want to.

[Analogman]

There are interviews with him I have seen where he seems great. I have not seen that film. I will have to check it out.

 

I think the last Beach Boys documentary I saw was Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story. The cd I have of Smile was sent to me by someone on here years ago. I think it is the Vigotone version. This was in the days before BT, and Mp3 blogs, and whatnot.

[dtram]

There are interviews with him I have seen where he seems great. I have not seen that film. I will have to check it out.

 

It's on disc 1 of this DVD, it's directed by David Leaf:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Wilson-presents-Natalie-Imbruglia/dp/B0007YKL2G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297016885&sr=8-1

 

Disc 2 is a live performance of Smile. The movie is 2 hours and imo worth it on it's own. 1st hour is on the '66-'67 seesions, last hour is on brians fall and the '04 project.

[Analogman]

There is also this one - which I learned about from the official BB fan club site:

 

Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1962-1969

 

Oh, and the weirdest BB deal I have ever seen:

The Beach Boys - Nashville Sounds: The Making of Stars and Stripes

 

I saw that when it was on CMT, or VH-1, or whatever channel it was on.

[dtram]

There is also this one - which I learned about from the official BB fan club site:

 

Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1962-1969

 

Oh, and the weirdest BB deal I have ever seen:

The Beach Boys - Nashville Sounds: The Making of Stars and Stripes

 

I saw that when it was on CMT, or VH-1, or whatever channel it was on.

 

I got that songwriter one for xmas, haven't been in a BB mood so haven't watched it. That Stars and Stripes was the aborted '96 reunion, right? It did produce that great tune Soul Searchin' which was on the Brian solo Gettin' In Over My Head with Carl singing lead. That tune was from the '95 Wilson/Paley sessions which produced some great tunes.

[Analogman]

Yes, and I guess that is the last time all of them worked on something together. As far as we know.

 

I can't believe the prices on some of this stuff. I have the Nashville documentary on VHS. I taped a lot of music stuff off of TV back in those days.

[Synthesizer Patel]

God, i hope they release Smile! Imagine if they do the same as they did with The Pet Sounds Sessions?

 

Have either of you heard the Purple Chick version of Smile? It is incredible - it sounds nothing like a bootleg, it runs perfectly in the same order as the released album etc... I think that is likely how they release this if they do, it'll be the same order as the 2004 release, eventhough Brian would probably have not had it like that if it'd been released when he made it.

 

Everyone needs to hear the Purple Chick release - I burned it onto a disc and put it inside the 2004 issue, cos I don't ever need to hear that again.

 

http://www.earcandymag.com/purplechicksmile-2005.htm

 

Actually, I'm going to play it now!

[dtram]

Yes, and I guess that is the last time all of them worked on something together. As far as we know.

 

I can't believe the prices on some of this stuff. I have the Nashville documentary on VHS. I taped a lot of music stuff off of TV back in those days.

 

80 bucks they can keep it.

 

 

God, i hope they release Smile! Imagine if they do the same as they did with The Pet Sounds Sessions?

 

Have either of you heard the Purple Chick version of Smile? It is incredible - it sounds nothing like a bootleg, it runs perfectly in the same order as the released album etc... I think that is likely how they release this if they do, it'll be the same order as the 2004 release, eventhough Brian would probably have not had it like that if it'd been released when he made it.

 

Everyone needs to hear the Purple Chick release - I burned it onto a disc and put it inside the 2004 issue, cos I don't ever need to hear that again.

 

http://www.earcandymag.com/purplechicksmile-2005.htm

 

Actually, I'm going to play it now!

 

This sounds like the Fast Eddie version I spoke of earlier. No harm in pulling this to see how it compares, thanks for the link.

 

For me, my dream way of doing the box set would be to sequence it the way Brain was thinking in '66, if he can even remember. Then have the remaining discs be the sessions ala the pet sounds box.

 

It's obvious the '04 sequence is not how it would have been in '67 because it is too long and wouldn't have been broken in to 3 parts. It would be a revalation if there are vocals in the vault to songs that we previously didn't have vocals to. Something to look forward to in the summer; let's hope this doesn't get hung up for a year the way PS did.

[Analogman]

Synthesizer Patel -

 

I figured you would post in this thread. I will check that version out.

 

 

That Pet Sounds box set is nice. I think I own 4 or 5 copies of that album now. I am still looking for a reel to reel copy of it.

 

I wonder if Al was "authorized" to let that bit of news out? Or was is just a spur of the moment deal?

[Synthesizer Patel]

I couldn't ignore a Beach Boys thread!

 

I don't think that "Fast Eddie" version of Smile is the same as the Purple Chick one - I googled it and the sources for each song are a lot different. There is something about the Purple Chick bootleg which just seems to flow perfectly and it sounds amazing - they do source some things from Brian Wilson's Presents Smile (not that you'd notice that exactly) and other tsections from all over the shop, but it's the fact that they weren't worried about doing that which makes it work so much better. I know a lot of other people who think the Purple Chick one is definitive too - well, that is until they release whatever they release in the summer.

 

That link I put in the post above has a link to a forum which has the flac of it.

[Analogman]

I found it on some blogs in FLAC. I don't mind messing with those sort of links sometimes, but Rapidshare takes forever unless you pay.

 

It's up at The Traders' Den and Zomb Torrents (which is having free leach right now).

 

This was the last BB boot I grabbed by way of a torrent site:

 

The Beach Boys

"A Vocal Element"

Live soundboard recordings, November 1967

Two-CD set; four concerts and bonus radio promos

Outstanding quality

Hang Ten 102-103

 

DISC ONE

 

1 Brian and Carl promo

 

TOUR OPENER, NOV. 17, DETROIT:

2 Barbara Ann

3 Darlin'

4 Country Air

5 I Get Around

6 How She Bugaloooed It

7 Wouldn't It Be Nice

8 God Only Knows

9 California Girls

10 Wild Honey

11 Good Vibrations

12 Johnny B. Goode

 

13 Al and Dennis promos

 

NOV. 23, BOSTON:

14 Help Me Rhonda

15 Barbara Ann

16 Darlin'

17 Surfer Girl

18 Wouldn't It Be Nice

19 God Only Knows

20 California Girls

21 Wild Honey

22 Good Vibrations

23 I Get Around

24 Sloop John B.

25 Graduation Day

 

 

DISC TWO

 

1 Promo with Derek Taylor

 

NOV. 21, WESTCHESTER, N.Y.

2 Help Me Rhonda

3 Barbara Ann

4 Darlin'

5 Surfer Girl

6 Wouldn't It Be Nice

7 God Only Knows

8 California Girls

9 Wild Honey

10 Graduation Day

11 Good Vibrations

 

12 Promo - Mike

 

NOV. 22, PITTSBURGH:

13 Help Me Rhonda

14 I Get Around

15 Darlin'

16 Surfer Girl

17 Wouldn't It Be Nice

18 God Only KNows

19 California Girls

20 Wild Honey

21 Good Vibrations

22 Johnny B. Goode

23 Graduation Day

24 Sloop John B.

 

25 More promos

26 Mike and Derek Taylor

 

It's up at Zomb Torrents also. Which is a bit odd, as they are on Dime a Dozen's Band Not Allowed list.

[Synthesizer Patel]

It's up at The Traders' Den and Zomb Torrents (which is having free leach right now).

 

yeah, the link was for The Traders Den, that's where I got it from.

 

that other bootleg looks pretty cool, although i'm never really too bothered about live bootlegs for anyone, unless i was at the concert.

[Analogman]

That Live In London album that I got when I was about 10 years old is still one of my favorite Beach Boys albums.

 

I had the above set of shows up at The Owl and Bear, but I took it down once I remembered that the band is not tape trader friendly.

 

Now, it's a two-fer:

Beach Boys Concert/Live London

[dtram]

I couldn't ignore a Beach Boys thread!

 

I don't think that "Fast Eddie" version of Smile is the same as the Purple Chick one - I googled it and the sources for each song are a lot different. There is something about the Purple Chick bootleg which just seems to flow perfectly and it sounds amazing - they do source some things from Brian Wilson's Presents Smile (not that you'd notice that exactly) and other tsections from all over the shop, but it's the fact that they weren't worried about doing that which makes it work so much better. I know a lot of other people who think the Purple Chick one is definitive too - well, that is until they release whatever they release in the summer.

 

That link I put in the post above has a link to a forum which has the flac of it.

 

Just snatched. Didn't listen the whole way through but did sample it and it crushes the Fast Eddie verison. First off, they use the original H & V instead of the Smiley Smile version. The SS version to me always lacked the power of the original and this is a huge upgrade. The Roll Plymouth Rock is better, the Barnyard and Surf's Up Sync are outstanding and Song Fir Children and Child are better. I like th BWPS seques to give it flow. Guess the Fast Eddie goes in the bin now. Thanks a lot again for the link.

 

And to answer A-man's question from before, let's hope for Al's sake he was allowed to spill the beans on this or I fear Mr. Love will send him to Beach Boy detention again.

 

BTW, I saw Al join BW to play PS at the Keswick in '06 andit was great, not sure I need Mike and Bruce too.

[Analogman]

BTW, I saw Al join BW to play PS at the Keswick in '06 andit was great, not sure I need Mike and Bruce too.

 

I recall reading about that somewhere. Maybe they will bring David Marks along if they do a reunion tour. I am going to grab his book and read it one of these days.

 

I forgot about these events:

 

On May 20, 2005, the original Beach Boys six man line-up (including both Marks and Jardine) was memorialized on the Beach Boys Historic Landmark in Hawthorne, California. The following year, on June 13, 2006, Marks gathered with surviving Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston on the roof of the landmark Capitol Records building in Hollywood, where all five were presented with an RIAA Platinum record Award in recognition of two million in sales of The Beach Boys CD song collection Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys.

[mpolak21]

Purple Chick Smile is well worth checking out. One of the first guys I traded boots with was a huge Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fan and had a large collection of Smile boots that he swapped with me, I really enjoy listening to the sessions along with the Beatles White Album and Let it Be session sets there probably my favorite studio boots that I have.

[Analogman]

I should say I've often thought Al never got enough credit. One of my favorite BB songs:

 

Beach Boys - Help Me, Rhonda (single version)

 

The Beach Boys - Help Me, Ronda (album version)

 

Al joined Mike and Bruce when they played at the Reagan show the other day.

 

A bit shakey, but I like it:

The Beach Boys - Rock and Roll Woman

[Analogman]

I read somewhere a while back that Al had retracted what he said - and now this article appears on Billboard.com:

 

Beach Boys' Lost 'Smile' Album to See Release in 2011

 

It's an event that pop music fans have been waiting for since the Summer of Love: Capitol Records is planning to release the Beach Boys' great lost album, "Smile," later this year.

 

Two longtime Beach Boys associates -- engineer Mark Linett and archivist Alan Boyd -- are co-producing the release, which Capitol has titled "The Smile Sessions."

 

The project will be released in three versions: a two-CD set, an iTunes LP digital album and a limited-edition boxed set containing four CDs, two vinyl LPs, two vinyl singles and a 60-page hardbound book written by Beach Boys historian Dominic Priore.

 

"The Smile Sessions" is being released with the support of the band, including Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson. Wilson wasn't immediately available for an interview but he expressed his excitement about the release in a statement released through Capitol.

 

"I'm thrilled that the Beach Boys' original studio sessions for 'Smile' will be released for the first time, after all these years," Wilson said. "I'm looking forward to this collection of the original recordings and having fans hear the beautiful angelic voices of the boys in a proper studio release."

 

"The Smile Sessions" doesn't yet have a specific release date, with Capitol saying only that it will arrive later this year. That will inevitably spark skepticism among long-suffering fans who've had their hopes dashed before. When Warner Bros. Records signed the Beach Boys to a record deal in 1970, part of the label's interest in the group was rooted in its hopes of releasing "Smile." Linett, who has engineered Beach Boys reissues for more than two decades, recalls going through the "Smile" tapes as early as 1988. And in 1995, Capitol told Billboard that it was preparing to release a three-CD compilation tentatively titled "The Smile Era" for release in August of that year. But that set never saw the light of day.

 

"The major thing in the past, I don't think we had support from all the band, and now we do," says Bill Gagnon, GM/senior VP of catalog marketing at EMI Music North America. "All parties are supporting it coming out. Everybody is onboard now."

 

Also backing the project are the related rights-holders. Capitol owns "The Smile Sessions" master recordings, with publishing rights controlled by Universal Music Group's Rondor Music, the Beach Boys' own Brother Records and, depending on which tracks are included on the final release, Wilson himself.

 

Since "Smile" was never completed, what exactly will be issued? Linett says the goal is to present "the whole piece as close to as it was envisioned, or as is envisioned, as possible . . . and obviously with input from Brian and from everybody else."

 

Linett is a better judge than most, having recorded and mixed the critically acclaimed 2004 version of "Smile" that Wilson recorded with his road band for Nonesuch.

 

Although a track listing hasn't been finalized, Linett says he expects that an approximation of the original "Smile" album will occupy one CD or three sides of vinyl, with session outtakes and studio chatter occupying the rest of each version of the release.

 

"When you say 'album,' it presupposes everything was recorded and finished, and that's not the case," he says. "We have gaps where we are missing some vocal parts. But all the music was recorded, which is heartening." All of the vocals were recorded by the Beach Boys, usually at the same time around the same mic, including the lead vocal, Linett says. The music was mostly played by the Wrecking Crew, the legendary group of Los Angeles session musicians that played on numerous Beach Boys hits, although some "Smile" tracks feature Carl Wilson on guitar and Dennis Wilson on drums, Linett says.

 

Linett says Wilson's 2004 "Smile" album has served as a blueprint for the current project, which will be mixed in mono because that's how Wilson‹who's deaf in his right ear‹intended it. But Linett adds that other selections from the 30 hours of "Smile" session recordings will more than likely be issued in stereo.

 

"Some of these questions are hard to answer because not only haven't we assembled them yet, this has to be played for Brian and the other members of the group to see what kind of input they have," he says. "Just because Brian did it the way he did it in 2004 [doesn't mean] he won't say, 'Well, let's add "You're Welcome," ' which was the B-side on the 'Heroes and Villians' single."

 

"The main thing I am getting from everybody, after waiting 40 years to have it officially released, is, 'We want to make sure it is right,' " Linett says.

 

But is there any doubt surrounding the project this time around? "No," Gagnon says. "It's coming out."

[dtram]

I read somewhere a while back that Al had retracted what he said - and now this article appears on Billboard.com:

 

Beach Boys' Lost 'Smile' Album to See Release in 2011

Sweet. Little disapointed it's coming out in Mono and that DB Priore is writing the liner notes but as a Smile fan, this is all you can ask for. I hope the running order is a close approximation of what BW had in mind in '66 (what, if any part he can remember) and not the BWPS order. I like the BWPS order but we have that and I would be much more interested in what would have been. Sign me up for the boxed set.

 

Thanks for the post.