Monday, November 10, 2008

The Beach Boys Network

The Beach Boys Network

Re: Mike Love/Howard Stern [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 05:22 AM CST

Wow, I never heard this. Unbeliveable...... Shocked Shocked

Re: VDP Song Cycle- Opinions? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 03:23 AM CST

It definitely has its moments of brilliance, The All Golden and By The People in particular. That said, I prefer VDP's style being contrasted with BW's pop sensibility. To me, Song Cycle is not at all a display of what Smile could have been and probably even less so than Smiley Smile. It's still quite a terrific listen from time to time but it also serves as kind of a reminder to me that Smile was clearly more than the mere sum of its creators' abilities.

Re: VDP Song Cycle- Opinions? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 02:15 AM CST

I use this album in anecdotes more than I actually listen to it. I like how one track is "Van Dyke Parks" credited to "Public Domain" followed by a song called "Public Domain" credited to "Van Dyke Parks". Or is it the other way around? Either way, I think that's funny.

Re: beachboycentral.com News [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 02:09 AM CST

December 21st, 2012. We'll all hear Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again before they finally start up the Large Hadron Collider and the world explodes.

Re: beachboycentral.com News [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 12:45 AM CST

It'll open in 2012.

Re: beachboycentral.com News [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 12:17 AM CST

So what's the latest on this site??  Is it ever gonna open...please?   angel     

VDP Song Cycle- Opinions? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 10 Nov 2008 12:14 AM CST

Last week, I paid a visit to my local used record shop.  As I walked in the door, the owner (who I am good friends with) had just finished buying a stack of LPs off some old hippie dude.  Stuck in the center of the stack was an LP I have spent years looking for- a copy of Van Dyke Parks' "Song Cycle".  I dove at that thing like a fly on hot sh*t.

I've listened to this album a couple of times so far, and I am curious as to what other people think about this album.  To me, this thing is fantastic, and a complete mess... all at the same time.  Its like a crazy guy who has random occasional moments of clarity, and in those moments of clarity, there is sheer brilliance.  Most psychedelic bands tried to make this music by having a four piece group bang on guitars.  Van takes this to the Nth degree with a freaking 40 piece orchestra.

There is so much of "what Smile might have been" in this album, its just plain scary.  It makes me wonder if Smile was Van influencing Brian, or Brian influencing Van.  Did Van take what he learned from Brian and create this album, or did Van just simply bring "his own thing" and mix it with Brian's songwriting and producing?  Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the middle... a meeting of the minds.  Interestingly, there is a photo of Van on the back cover of the LP, wearing very Brian-esque dark-rimmed glasses.

And to end this rant, I will use a quote I saw on a review of this album from amazon.com that really made me laugh:

"Parks sounds like a hallucinating midget."

What do you guys think about this album?


Re: adult/child - among the best music you've never heard? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 11:59 PM CST

Yeah, Brian's problems around then seemed a lot more personal than critical reactions towards his music. He wrote and produced when things were going good in his life, and then he laid in bed when things were going badly. Like how he started off the L.A. sessions doing full-on, earnest productions for a few days, wowing some people, and then out of nowhere he got a bad phone call and he was on the couch in the fetal position, never to seriously work on the L.A. album again.

Re: Really Really Weird Remix Contest (win a Casio SK-1 sampler) [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 10:39 PM CST

A new remix is up -- this one is by Superaction80:

http://www.myspace.com/reallyreallyweirdremix

Just a reminder -- the cutoff date for contest entries is midnight EST, November 30th, 2008. So if you're a remixing sort of person and you want a chance to win some cool stuff, it'd probably be a good idea to get started on that remix soon!  Cool

Re: Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 10:30 PM CST

You know having Steven here changes my opinion. That he admits there were errors with the music really helps me see the book in a new light. The fact that he does like the music (including things like Holland) really gives him a lot more credibility in my eyes. Sure we know Brian was more active in the late sixties/early seventies and that Dennis played on more sessions then once thought, but this does give some insight to the group's up's and down's. It explains a lot about why things declined so much musically, and why relations between the group are so fragile today.

I really want to read this book!!

Re: BB Archives [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 09:56 PM CST

Where are these "Beach Boys archives" located that I hear so much about?  Stuff that is left in the vaults...what vaults and where I'm wondering??  Please no joke answers, this is a serious question.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say the vault is in some secret location in or near Los Angeles.


But there is a website run by a guy named Craig (I think he goes by "c-man" around these parts) called the Beach Boys Archives, which consists of in-depth writings and notes on some of the BB's albums.
http://beachboysarchives.com/

What I Really Want For Christmas Brian Wilson ["brian wilson"]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 08:47 PM CST

US $3.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Wednesday Nov-12-2008 18:47:18 PST
Bid now | Add to watch list

Mike Love/Howard Stern [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 08:40 PM CST

1 TICKET AT STAGE 2nd ROW BRIAN WILSON NASHVILLE RYMAN ["brian wilson"]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:54 PM CST

US $85.00
End Date: Wednesday Nov-12-2008 17:54:27 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $85.00
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Re: Going to see Brian (For the first time!)/autograph session!! [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:37 PM CST

Have fun at BOTH of those shows, DonnaK!

Yeah, i don't expect Brian to chat, i'll just be more than happy to be in his presence and to thank him for all of his great music.

Here's a question to people in the know. Brian will be signing autographs at Borders. I already have a copy of TLOS (With a receipt, which i did not buy at a Borders store). Now am i going to have to buy another copy from Borders in order to get a wristband, or will i be able to get one by just showing them the old receipt?

wait, I have to buy a cd in the store to get his autograph?

Re: Brian songs 71-75??? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:26 PM CST

speaking of CF; had Brian not released his recording on the BB Classics cd...you think he woulda grabbed it for TLOS?
No, because I think he'd have used it on GIOMH.

Re: adult/child - among the best music you've never heard? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:13 PM CST

In my opinion, the non-release of it was one of the big events that lead to him going crackers (well...MORE crackers) for that period around 1978-1982.
In my opinion, I don't think Brian gave a damn. Maybe he did when he started recording, but eventually lost interest after half an album. I don't think he was shocked when the album as considered unreleasable by Warner.

Re: Brian songs 71-75??? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:12 PM CST

speaking of CF; had Brian not released his recording on the BB Classics cd...you think he woulda grabbed it for TLOS?

Re: BB Archives [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:10 PM CST

it's a place i dream of everynight; i sneek in, even if it's just to listen to the Battle Hymn of Republic

Re: Underrated Beach Boys (or related) songs [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:07 PM CST

TPESKY-  I know what you mean about Girl Dont Tell Me, I love that version from Al!

btw Donald, you like Spring's version of had to phone ya? it sounds more quirky, i love both. Had to phone ya is prolly Brian's best backing track on 15 Big Ones, possibly one of his best in the 70s as a whole.

Re: adult/child - among the best music you've never heard? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:06 PM CST

Honestly, Love You and Adult Child was when I thought Brian WANTED to write....it seems like he had a lot of motivation at that time (after the success of the lacking 15 Big Ones)..

songs like Lines, Everybody Wants to Live, Still I dream of It, his great cover of Deep Purple, etc.....he loved to compose again, which is well worth getting into.

Re: adult/child - among the best music you've never heard? [Smiley Smile Message Board]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:00 PM CST

Maybe it's because the Adult Child songs weren't totally finished productions - were they? - but the Love You vocals were wince-worthy where the Adult Child vocals were unreleaseable. "Deep Purple", "Still I Dream Of It", "It's Trying To Say", and parts of "Life Is For The Living" are flat out embarrassing.

Charles LePage: Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world (via FriendFeed) [Smiley Smile Dot Net]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:32 AM CST

Charles LePage posted a link
24 hours ago - Comment - Like
"When Hollywood embraced the surf scene during the 1960s, a party lifestyle became synonymous with surf culture. "It drove us crazy," Brown remembered. "When surf music came out, we didn't like it. A friend of mine managed the Beach Boys and they played at the Roxy Theatre in Pacific Beach. At the time, I felt sorry for them and thought, these poor guys are never going to make it. They were singing about surfing and they weren't surfers. We were so provincial – it was like, boo. But I was proud of them when they did well."" - Charles LePage

Charles LePage: Casinos - www.hattiesburgamerican.com (via FriendFeed) [Smiley Smile Dot Net]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:32 AM CST

Charles LePage posted a link
24 hours ago - Comment - Like
"Beach Boys, Jan. 1" - Charles LePage

Charles LePage: Shows on the road | Lifestyles | Entertainment | thetimes-tribune.com - The Times-Tribune (via FriendFeed) [Smiley Smile Dot Net]

Posted: 09 Nov 2008 07:31 AM CST

No comments: