The Beach Boys

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Supposedly, that is a non-story, because Mike Love already had these dates booked before they did the 50th reunion tour. Either way, it makes him look like a douche.

I have even read a conspiracy theory that this was done to get more press, but I can't imagine Brian would sign on to the "Sure, I'll look like a confused senior citizen to get more press" agenda.

[mpolak21]

Earlier last year I quoted the Royal Tenenbaums in reference to Mike Love, "Can’t someone be a shit their whole life and want to repair the damage?" Sadly, it doesn't seem like he really wants to repair the damage. And it's sad, because he's not going to be around for too much longer. He's not going to be remembered in a lot of circles as one half of the songwriting team Wilson/Love or the voice on all of those great records. He's going to be remembered as one of the single biggest assholes in rock history.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Earlier last year I quoted the Royal Tenenbaums in reference to Mike Love, "Can’t someone be a shit their whole life and want to repair the damage?" Sadly, it doesn't seem like he really wants to repair the damage. And it's sad, because he's not going to be around for too much longer. He's not going to be remembered in a lot of circles as one half of the songwriting team Wilson/Love or the voice on all of those great records. He's going to be remembered as one of the single biggest assholes in rock history.

I disagree with your assessment...he is THE biggest asshole in rock history.

[mpolak21]

I disagree with your assessment...he is THE biggest asshole in rock history.

 

Ha ha ha. I had Mike Love is THE biggest asshole in rock history written originally and then I remembered the Nuge and decided to hedge it.

[mountain bed]

Ha ha ha. I had Mike Love is THE biggest asshole in rock history written originally and then I remembered the Nuge and decided to hedge it.

Exactly!

[LouieB]

No doubt Mike Love is a douche on many levels, but honestly the fact that he owns the Beach Boys name and has kept this thing going for so many years (I feel like the right wingers in the Presidental race thread), is somewhat to his credit. No way I would ever both seeing those Beach Boys (or the reunion ones either, but that is just me), but at least he had the good sense to buy the francise when back when no one gave a shit and he is riding the gravy train to his grave.

 

LouieB

[tugmoose]

M.Love wrote the lyrics to "Warmth of the Sun." That makes up for a lot of sins.

[Albert Tatlock]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopreviews/9565630/The-Beach-Boys-Mermaid-Theatre-London-review.html

 

They were on Later with Jools Holland last week too.

[linclink]

Just saw Yo La Tengo do one of their "The Freewheelin" Yo La Tengo" shows. In a happy little moment of Q & A- someone couched a request for The Beach Boys by asking if they covered any Beach Boys songs, & if so, if they could please do one...to which Ira Kaplan replied...hey you know I've got a little Beach Boys question of my own that I want to ask & it goes like this "Mike Love? What The Fuck?!?!"...he said that he'd watched them on some late night show (Jimmy Fallon maybe) & seen the comradeship & wanted to believe thing were getting better & had changed...he said he truly didn't want to keep hating Mike Love, but that Mike Love was making that pretty much impossible...and then they played their breathtaking version of "Farmer's Daughter" (which BTW is based, almost completely, on a late 70's arrangement done by Fleetwood Mac- Lindsey loves his Brian Wilson)

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-brian-wilson-al-jardine-respond-to-mike-love-on-beach-boys-flap-20121008,0,6270223.story?track=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=95857

 

By Brian Wilson

 

October 9, 2012, 7:01 a.m.

 

The Beach Boys recent 50th anniversary tour reunited original members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and longtime member Bruce Johnston for the first time in almost two decades.

 

Near the end of the tour in London, and the day before the band was saluted with a new 50th anniversary exhibition at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Love announced that he and Johnston would continue touring under the Beach Boys’ name in his pre-anniversary edition of the band, minus Wilson, Jardine and Marks.

 

His announcement, which he said was issued to avoid confusion in smaller markets where the Love-Johnston band had been booked, caused a firestorm of publicity as some media outlets interpreted the move as Love firing Wilson, his cousin.

 

Love's response to the reaction, published exclusively in The Times on Saturday, stated among other things that he never fired Wilson and does not have the authority to do so, adding that even if he did have the authority, he never would fire the man considered the group’s creative leader.

 

Wilson and Jardine submitted the following response to Love’s letter, in Wilson’s words:

 

I've been asked to respond to a letter that my cousin Mike wrote to the L.A. Times regarding the circumstances of the last couple weeks and the confusion of the future of The Beach Boys. Normally I wouldn't respond to something like this, but because I love what the 50th has done for the band's image and its legacy, I feel I need to.

 

First, I want to say that the last few months have been some of the happiest in my life. Recording "That's Why God Made The Radio" was a dream come true, to be able to co-write and produce an album for the boys and have it so well received by fans all over the world was the best!

 

The tour that followed blew away all my expectations. We had a blast, the fans were so supportive and I loved being able to record and sing with the guys. My only regret was that Carl and Dennis were not there to share this experience with us.

 

INTERACTIVE: Hollywood Walk of Fame - Beach Boys

 

Now on to the rumors: As far as I know I can't be fired--that wouldn't be cool. The negativity surrounding all the comments bummed me out. What's confusing is that by Mike not wanting or letting Al, David and me tour with the band, it sort of feels like we're being fired.

 

What's a bummer to Al and me is that we have numerous offers to continue, so why wouldn't we want to? We all poured our hearts and souls into that album and the fans rewarded us by giving us a No. 3 debut on the Billboard charts, and selling out our shows. We were all blown away by the response.

 

Al and I would like to be included in the continuous promotion of "That's Why God Made The Radio." That's what I've been doing for over a decade: making records and going out and supporting them. It's what I do. Capitol Records has been so cool to us this year in terms of supporting the 50th and I personally want to say thanks.

 

 

PHOTOS: Celebrities by the Times

 

Mike kept saying throughout the tour "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," and both Al and I agree, which made us all think that he wanted to continue. We originally started out with 50 shows, but the success and the demand kept growing and we obliged. No one knew in the beginning that this was going to be so rewarding and popular with our fans. Once we got cooking we were all stoked!

 

After Mike booked a couple of shows with Bruce, Al and I were, of course, disappointed. Then there was confusion in some markets when photos of me, Al and David and the 50th reunion band appeared on websites advertising his shows.

 

At that point my attorney merely suggested to Mike's attorney that a possible press release in those markets might be appropriate to stop the confusion, which was in no one's best interest. That's it, plain and simple, and a strategy was open for discussion, which never happened.

 

That’s why I was completely blindsided by his press release. I had no idea that it was coming out, since it was crafted by Mike's personal PR firm without my knowledge or approval. No one in my camp would have approved it or the timing.

 

I'm disappointed that Mike would now say that the release was done at the request of my representative. The first I heard about it was at the Grammy Museum event. We hadn't even discussed as a band what we were going to do with all the offers that were coming in for more 50th shows.

 

Al and I just assumed based on everyone's enthusiasm we would at least want to take those offers into consideration since we all knew about them. I mean, who wouldn't want to play the Hollywood Bowl again, Madison Square Garden and Wrigley Field? And what better way to celebrate New Year's Eve than with the 50th band? That would have blown the lid off things.

 

There were also offers for more shows in the U.K. and markets we weren't able to play during the tour. As I said before, it's my opinion that we should all go out together as the Beach Boys in support of all our new releases. We really weren't out on the road that long for an anniversary of this magnitude and I actually think we should make one last record together.

 

It's Al and my opinion that all of us together makes for a great representation of the Beach Boys.

 

While I appreciate the nice cool things Mike said about me in his letter, and I do and always will love him as my cousin and bandmate, at the same time I'm still left wondering why he doesn't want to continue this great trip we're on. Al and I want to keep going because we believe we owe it to the music.

 

That's it in a nutshell, all these conversations need to be between the shareholders, and I welcome Mike to call me.

 

In any case happy anniversary, I loved it and I think we knocked it out of the park for what it's worth.

 

Love and Mercy,

 

Brian Wilson

[Analogman]

The tracklist for the new Made In California boxset: (At first glance, I'd say this is made up of tracks from the Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys boxset, and some of the other vault releases that have came out since then.)

 

CD 1
—-
1. Home Recordings / “Surfin’” Rehearsal Highlights (2012 Edit – Mono)
2. Surfin’ (with Session Intro – Mono)
3. Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (Demo – Mono)
4. Surfin’ Safari (Original Mono Long Version)
5. 409 (Original Mono Long Version)
6. Lonely Sea (Original Mono Mix)
7. Surfin’ U.S.A.
8. Shut Down (2003 Stereo Mix)
9. Surfer Girl
10. Little Deuce Coupe
11. Catch A Wave
12. Our Car Club
13. Surfers Rule (with Session Intro)
14. In My Room
15. Back Home
16. Be True To Your School (Mono Single Version)
17. Ballad Of Ole’ Betsy
18. Little Saint Nick (Stereo Single Version)
19. Fun, Fun, Fun (Mono Single Version)
20. Little Honda
21. Don’t Worry Baby (2009 Stereo Mix)
22. Why Do Fools Fall In Love (2009 Stereo Mix)
23. The Warmth Of The Sun
24. I Get Around (with Session Intro – Mono)
25. Wendy (2007 Stereo Mix)
26. All Summer Long (2007 Stereo Mix)
27. Girls On The Beach
28. Don’t Back Down
29. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (2012 Stereo Mix)
30. All Dressed Up For School (Mono)
31. Please Let Me Wonder (2007 Stereo Mix)
32. Kiss Me, Baby (2000 Stereo Mix)
33. In The Back of My Mind (2012 Stereo Mix)
34. Dance, Dance, Dance (2003 Stereo Mix)

CD 2
—-
1. Do You Wanna Dance (2012 Stereo Mix)
2. Help Me, Rhonda (Mono Single Version)
3. California Girls (2002 Stereo Mix)
4. Amusement Parks USA (Early Version)
5. Salt Lake City (2001 Stereo Mix)
6. Let Him Run Wild (2007 Stereo Mix)
7. Graduation Day (Session Excerpt and Master Take, 2012 Mix)
8. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Mono)
9. There’s No Other (Like My Baby) (2012 “Unplugged” Mix with Party Session Intro)
10. Barbara Ann (2012 Stereo Mix)
11. Radio Spot “Wonderful KYA” (Mono)
12. Sloop John B (1996 Stereo Mix)
13. Wouldn’t It Be Nice (2001 Stereo Mix)
14. God Only Knows (1996 Stereo Mix)
15. I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (1996 Stereo Mix)
16. Caroline No (1996 Stereo Mix)
17. Good Vibrations (Mono)
18. Our Prayer (2012 “Smile Sessions” Stereo Mix)
19. Heroes And Villains: Part 1 (“Smile Sessions” Mix – Mono)
20. Heroes And Villains: Part 2 (“Smile Sessions” Mix – Mono)
21. Vega-Tables (“Smile Sessions” Stereo Mix)
22. Wind Chimes (“Smile Sessions” Stereo Mix)
23. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow) (“Smile Sessions” Mix – Mono)
24. Cabin Essence (“Smile Sessions” Mix – Mono)
25. Heroes And Villains (2012 Stereo Mix)
26. Wonderful (2012 Stereo Mix)
27. Country Air (2012 Stereo Mix)
28. Wild Honey (2012 Stereo Mix)

CD 3
—-
1. Darlin’ (2012 Stereo Mix)
2. Let The Wind Blow (2001 Stereo Mix)
3. Meant For You (Alternate Version)
4. Friends
5. Little Bird
6. Busy Doin’ Nothin’
7. Sail Plane Song (2012 Stereo Mix)
8. We’re Together Again (2012 Stereo Mix)
9. Radio Spot “Murray The K” (Mono)
10. Do It Again (2012 Stereo Mix)
11. Old Man River (Vocal Section)
12. Be With Me
13. I Can Hear Music
14. Time To Get Alone
15. I Went To Sleep
16. Can’t Wait Too Long (A Cappella)
17. Break Away (Alternate Version)
18. Celebrate The News
19. Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (Single Version, 2001 Stereo Mix)
20. Susie Cincinnati (2012 Mix)
21. Good Time
22. Slip On Through
23. Add Some Music To Your Day
24. This Whole World
25. Forever
26. It’s About Time
27. Soulful Old Man Sunshine
28. Fallin’ In Love (2009 Stereo Mix)
29. Sound Of Free (Mono Single Version)
30. ‘Til I Die
31. Surf’s Up

CD 4
—-
1. Don’t Go Near The Water
2. Disney Girls (1957)
3. Feel Flows
4. (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again
5. Marcella
6. All This Is That
7. Sail On Sailor
8. The Trader
9. California Saga (On My Way To Sunny Californ-I-A)
10. Rock And Roll Music (2012 Mix w/Extra Verse)
11. It’s OK (Alternate Mix)
12. Had To Phone Ya
13. Let Us Go On This Way
14. I’ll Bet He’s Nice
15. Solar System
16. The Night Was So Young
17. It’s Over Now (Alternate Mix)
18. Come Go With Me
19. California Feelin’
20. Brian’s Back (Alternate Mix)
21. Good Timin’
22. Angel Come Home
23. Baby Blue
24. It’s A Beautiful Day (Single Edit) (2012 Mix)
25. Goin’ To The Beach

CD 5
—-
1. Goin’ On
2. Why Don’t They Let Us Fall In Love
3. Da Doo Ron Ron
4. Getcha Back
5. California Dreamin’
6. Kokomo
7. Soul Searchin’
8. You’re Still A Mystery
9. That’s Why God Made The Radio
10. Isn’t It Time (Single Version)
THE BEACH BOYS LIVE:
————————————————————-
11. Runaway (Chicago 1965 — w/Concert Promo Intro – Mono)
12. You’re So Good To Me (Paris 1966 – Mono)
13. The Letter (Hawaii Rehearsal 1967)
14. Friends (Chicago 1968 – Mono)
15. Little Bird (Chicago 1968 – Mono)
16. All I Want To Do (London 1968)
17. Help Me, Rhonda (New Jersey 1972)
18. Wild Honey (New Jersey 1972)
19. Only With You (New York 1972)
20. It’s About Time (Chicago 1973)
21. I Can Hear Music (Maryland 1975)
22. Vegetables (New York 1993)
23. Wonderful (New York 1993)
24. Sail On Sailor (Louisville 1995)
25. Summer In Paradise (Wembley 1993)

CD 6
—-
FROM THE VAULTS:
—————————————————————————
1. Radio Spot (1966 — Mono)
2. Slip On Through (A Cappella Mix)
3. Don’t Worry Baby (Stereo Session Outtake w/ Alternate Lead Vocal)
4. Pom Pom Play Girl (Vocal Session Highlight)
5. Guess I’m Dumb (Instrumental Track w/Background Vocals)
6. Sherry She Needs Me (1965 Track w/1976 Vocal)
7. Mona Kana (Instrumental Track)
8. This Whole World (A Cappella)
9. Where Is She?
10. Had To Phone Ya (Instrumental Track)
11. SMiLE Backing Vocals Montage (from “The Smile Sessions”)
12. Good Vibrations (Stereo Track Sections)
13. Be With Me (Demo)
14. I Believe In Miracles (Vocal Section)
15. Why (Instrumental Track)
16. Barnyard Blues
17. Don’t Go Near The Water (Instrumental Track)
18. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling
19. Transcendental Meditation (Instrumental Track)
20. Our Sweet Love (Vocals w/Strings)
21. Back Home (1970 Version)
22. California Feelin’ (Original Demo)
23. California Girls (“Lei’d In Hawaii” Studio Version)
24. Help You, Rhonda (“Lei’d In Hawaii” Studio Version)
25. Surf’s Up (1967 Version) (2012 Mix)
26. My Love Lives On
27. Radio Spot (1964 – Mono)
28. Wendy (BBC — Live in the Studio 1964 – Mono)
29. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) (BBC — Live in the Studio 1964 – Mono)
30. Hushabye (BBC — Live in the Studio 1964 – Mono)
31. Carl Wilson: Coda (2013 Edit)

[Analogman]

Interview with Blondie Chaplin:

 

I saw that thread about the Brian/Jeff Beck tour. I would like to see one of those shows. Good thing there is Youtube.

 

He mentions Wild Honey - that's a great song.

 

 

(Rolling Stone)
By Andy Greene
October 14, 2013 2:00 PM ET

Blondie Chaplin is truly the Zelig of rock & roll. The South African-born musician first made his mark when the Beach Boys hired him in 1972 as a full member of the group. He sang lead on their classic "Sail On Sailor" and contributed substantially to their woefully underrated albums Holland and Carl & The Passions - So Tough before leaving in late 1973. He went on to record artists ranging from Bonnie Raitt and David Johansen to Gene Clark and the Band. The Rolling Stones brought him into their backing band in 1997 and he remained there for a solid decade, playing just about every arena and stadium on the planet. 

He's now playing select dates on the ongoing Brian Wilson-Jeff Beck tour, and he's working with a new band called Skollie with Anton Fig and Keith Lentin. We spoke with Chaplin about his tenure in the Beach Boys, why he wasn't invited on the last Stones tour and his reunion with Wilson.

Let's start by going back to the beginning here. Tell me how you first met up with the Beach Boys.

Wow. It must have been 1968. They were doing a tour in England and they were looking for acts to sign to Brother Records. My band from South Africa was called the Flame and we were playing around. I think that Al Jardine came to see us, and within a little while he called Carl [Wilson], and that's how the connection happened. They listened to us and liked it, so they brought us over to the States. That's how it started.

Were you a big Beach Boys fan prior to that?

Not particularly. [Laughs] I appreciated some of the stuff. Obviously, they had good head stuff like "Good Vibrations," all the artistic stuff. We were coming from a background of R&B – Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and that kind of thing. In South Africa, we were influenced by the Beatles, Stones, whatever. But after I got to know the Beach Boys I got into them a whole lot more.

You weren't a hired hand. They made you a full-time Beach Boy, right?

Well, you know, that's what it was called. It said "Beach Boys," but [drummer] Ricky Fataar and I didn't feel like we were fully there. It was full Beach Boys as far as title, but it wasn't really. I'm not saying that in a negative way. We were just very, very good session men that people happened to like. I guess you can call us Beach Boys, but we thought we were kind of brought in to give the band a harder and funkier edge, so I'll just put it that way. If that means being a Beach Boy, fine.

It was a weird time in the group's history. They were just 11 years old as a band, but they already seemed pretty passé to most people.

Yeah. We were doing a lot of college dates. When I watch college basketball now, I say to my wife, "We played there with the Beach Boys." We played a lot of shows, sometimes six weeks straight – go back for a bit, and then get back out there. That's how we built it up to the point of playing nice, prestigious venues. The band was rocking much harder than it had in the beginning. Ricky and I had a lot to do with kicking that into gear. Before we joined, they just weren't great to see live. We gave them a little more oomph.

How often did you see Brian Wilson in this period?

Just maybe in the studio. He wasn't playing much live at all. In the studio, when we cut Holland, he was involved. And he was there at his house when we did some of the Carl and the Passions stuff.

Tell me how you wound up singing lead on "Sail On Sailor."

We did the Holland album in Holland, obviously. When they brought the stuff back to Warners, they didn't think there was anything to play on the radio, like a single or anything like that. So we recorded "Sail On Sailor" in America and added it to the album. It became the song that Warners could latch onto and put on the radio, though it never became a heavy-selling hit. It was kind of a radio hit. 
When we recorded it, Carl was on the piano. I played bass and Ricky Fataar was on drums. We did it at Village Recorders. When the track was done, Carl asked Dennis [Wilson] to take a crack at singing. He tried it a couple of times and then said, "Hey, man, the surf is pretty good out there. I'm going out of here to go surfing." That's exactly what happened. He split. Then Carl said, "I'll give it a pass." He tried it a couple times, but he didn't like the timbre of his voice. Then he asked me to sing it. I sang it a couple of times and that's what you heard. That's what you hear now.

Tell me about recording "Leaving This Town."

We record that one in Holland. I played bass. Ricky played drums and Carl played piano. It was just a nice ballad. I remember walking all over the studio and there were wires everywhere. You could trip yourself and break your neck. We were also close to the train tracks, so when the train came the whole studio shook, and you kinda had to stop for a couple of minutes and then get back to work again. It was a normal train from a town called Hilversum to Amsterdam, so it came fairly frequently. But we still got a lot done, but whenever we heard a rumble we had to stop.

I remember recording "Leaving This Town" really well. It's a ballad, and so we would tiptoe through it and then suddenly the train would come and screw up the take. We'd be like, "All right, man, we got another half-hour until the next train comes. Let's hit it now." It was funny as crap. But it got done eventually, and thank God they put "Sail On Sailor" on later, because I don't think all our efforts on Holland would have come out it they didn't put on something that would work on the radio.

Why did you leave the Beach Boys?

We were on a long tour, and I got into an altercation with one of the guy's brothers [stan Love, brother of Mike Love]. I just said, "Forget it, I don't need this stuff." It had nothing to do with Brian or anything. But what happened was stupid and it pissed me off and I was just like, "Screw it. I don't need to play with people who use muscle when I'm just singing." Not long after that, Ricky went as well. 

I just went off my merry way. After that, I played with Paul Butterfield, Rick Danko . . . I spent time with the guys in the Band. I did sessions with Bonnie Raitt, David Johansen, and then I ran into the Stones. That was a lot of fun, too. 

When you get a job as a musician all you think about is, "I need to get another one." That's because there's a lot of us. It's pretty competitive, and it's not easy to be in favor. But so far, things have been working pretty good.

How did you wind up on this Brian Wilson tour?

It's a funny thing. All of a sudden, I get a call from Jeff Foskett. He's Brian's musical director. He said that Brian wanted to know if I wanted to come down and do some singing parts on his new album. This was totally out of the blue. Out of the blue! I hadn't been in a studio with Brian for 40 years. I said, "Sure!"

I went down to Ocean Way and was there for about an hour, layering on parts and stuff like that. When I was leaving, Jeff said, "Hey Brian, don't you want to ask something to Blondie?" Brian goes, "Oh yeah! Do you want to come sing 'Sail On Sailor' at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles?" I said, "Oh, sure. Just give me a buzz and we'll figure it out a little later." And then it turned into two shows and another three, and now I'm being brought in on eight gigs. It's nice to be a part of it. I wasn't expecting this when I was going to the studio. It's very nice that he asked me. He's a good guy.

The one funny thing that struck me after not seeing him for a while is that I was so used to seeing him with his two brothers. When I walked into the studio and shook his hand, I was looking at him and seeing the other two, one on each side. It was a little unnerving. It tripped me out.

Did you even attend any Beach Boys concerts in the past 40 years?

Just one. A friend took me to a show in New Jersey, even though I didn't want to go. It was a while ago. Carl was still alive, but he was going through chemo. I thought he looked pretty good, but someone told me he was wearing a wig. I went up there and sang "Sail On Sailor." That was the only times in 40 years I saw anybody, though I did see Brian at a Carl Wilson cancer benefit. That must have been 12 years ago. But I haven't been in the studio with anyone of that era until now.

It's got to be a time warp to be back on that stage with everybody.

Completely. The first gig I did was in Florida about a week and a half ago. It was odd, but I was relaxed. I was thinking, "I can't believe I'm hearing these voices again and singing these songs." It was strange. Every time Brian is on the piano I turn around and go, "Wow, this is really strange." It is strange, but good strange.

Are they talking about having you do anything besides "Sail On Sailor?"

I'm gonna try a few more in a couple of days. I might do "Wild Honey" or something like that. By the time we hit New York, we'll be in full swing.

Tell me about playing with the Band.

I only did a few gigs for them. It was obviously after Robbie Robertson. This was after Richard [Manuel] passed away, so it was a pretty low time for them. I knew them from when they lived in Malibu, the Last Waltz days and stuff. I think they just needed somebody to pick up a little slack. I played a little bit of drums, a little bit of guitar. It was nothing major, just support. They needed another voice there. They knew me well enough, and I think they trusted me in that strange time.

With the Band, it was amazing to have such good singers in one band. Good bands usually have a few, and the Beatles were doing that, too. But you have Richard, Levon [Helm] and Rick. It's kind of amazing to have very strong, big-voiced, deep singers. It's a lot of passion.

Why weren't you on the last Rolling Stones tour?

It's just like anything – they're downsizing. They want to keep the band small. That's the reason I was given. That's fine. It's their prerogative to do so. I've had a great time woking for them. But that's the reason I know, just downsizing in any way and cutting back the band. The band got smaller, and I think that opens things for other people, so the chapter ends and another one opens.

Have you ever thought about writing a book?

Funny you should ask. [Laughs] A friend of mine asked me that the other day, and yes, I have been. Just coming from South Africa and running into this, running into that . . . I've spent all my life in music. I'll get that going, and I'm finishing a couple of CDs of mine, so maybe next year I can put everything together and be more visible and get some product out.

[bigideas]

I love the Beach Boys, but they are putting out too many box sets. How does stuff magically keep appearing? Ha.

I still haven't checked out the post Surf's Up albums in full. Nothing on the Good Vibes box set that I heard really made me want to.

[Analogman]

You should check out Carl And The Passions "So Tough"/Holland/The Beach Boys In Concert.

[Albert Tatlock]

Walking along the Thames embankment as part of my daily commute - past the ITV studios. A small stage was set up for an outside broadcast piece from the Beachboys (w/o/ Brian). Just as I was passing they got on stage goofing around for a couple of minutes while waiting for their cue, then they performed California Girls - live vocals and a couple of turned down guitars to a backing track. A little crowd of around 50 or 60 had gathered. A couple of the guys from Brian's backing band are performing with them. Sounded good and a better than usual way to start the week. I had seen Brian a couple of times, so nice to complete the set.

 

Googling shows they were at the Royal Albert Hall last night.

[Albert Tatlock]

So, turns out I saw the rehearsal. AN hour later then did it again for live TV. They sounded better when I saw them :-)

 

http://www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain/entertainment/the-beach-boys-bring-some-california-sunshine

 

 

[Analogman]

I am surprised to see David Marks in the band. 

[nodep5]

I love the Beach Boys, but they are putting out too many box sets. How does stuff magically keep appearing? Ha.

I still haven't checked out the post Surf's Up albums in full. Nothing on the Good Vibes box set that I heard really made me want to.

I agree Holland, Carl & Passions are very cool.  I like one or two songs on Love You and 15 Big Ones.  Love all phases of Beach Boys but Brothers Records Years are really interesting and cool

[replacements75]

Saw Love and Mercy last night. Fantastic though I of course would have preferred to be listening to the pitchfork stream but what can you do.

[Zalisha]

Love the Beach Boys! I'm only ten but they are my favorite band currently. They're an oldie but a goodie! 

[Analogman]

There is hope for the future after all. When I was ten I also listened to The Beach Boys.

[Zalisha]

Yes, there is hope!

[Analogman]

Yet another Pet Sounds anniversary release:

 

 

The Beach Boys and Capitol/UMe Celebrate Iconic Album’s Golden Anniversary with Special Commemorative Editions and Exclusive Merchandise

 

The Beach Boys’ iconic 1966 album, Pet Sounds, is universally hailed as one of popular music’s most important recordings of all time. May 16 marks the acclaimed album’s 50th anniversary, and to commemorate the milestone, The Beach Boys and Capitol/UMe will release special expanded editions of the recorded masterpiece, as well as a range of exclusive Pet Sounds merchandise. Available now for preorder, Pet Sounds (50th Anniversary Edition) will be released worldwide on June 10 in several configurations, including a 4CD/Blu-ray Audio collectors edition presented in a hardbound book, featuring the remastered original album in stereo and mono, plus hi res stereo, mono, instrumental, and 5.1 surround mixes, session outtakes, alternate mixes, and previously unreleased live recordings; a 2CD and digital deluxe edition pairing the remastered album in stereo and mono with highlights from the collectors edition’s additional tracks; and remastered, 180-gram LP editions of the album in mono and stereo with faithfully replicated original artwork.

[LouieB]

How many more can anyone buy?  I was sort of hoping that this post was the celebration of some other album of theirs.  Isn't there any other one fans like?  I guess not.

 

LouieB

[Analogman]

Of course, what is funny is that album was mostly buried back in the day by Capitol. And now they never pass up a chance to release another version of it. I would actually buy this if it had the whole 1966 Michigan concert on it. I think it is only one or two tracks from that show. 

[LouieB]

I find it particularly funny that the reputation of the Beach Boys rests nearly solely on this album alone. If this album didn't exist the Beach Boys would be just another oldies act that only old people cared about.  I have an extremely beat up copy of the original issue along with the 80s reissue.  Since then there have been seen so may other reissues. I think I bought Rosie one of the CD versions with both the mono and stereo mixes on it.

 

(Sorry about the gross grammatical back flips.)

 

LouieB