Please don't inflict another version of Loop De Loop on us, or Susie Cincinnatti. How come those Master Tapes can't be 'lost'?
Agreed, other than Deirdre, and I have no idea what his contributions were to that. Maybe just the name.
Nope. Not the name. Really Ben Baldwin. But...Come on! You know, Ben writes the songs that make the young girls cry....
I'm generally not a fan of re-mixes, but I think a Sunflower remix with Stephen Desper retained as a consultant would be great. I still have my original Brother LP, and it sounds so much better than any digital version. I don't want a new mix, but rather a re-mix that recreates the original recording as engineered by Mr. Desper in Brian's home studio.
While I disagree with your last sentence, I respect your opinion, Rick. And let's not forget the other side of the coin and remember that while Brian stayed home, he wrote, arranged, sang, and produced some of the finest music he ever made including Pet Sounds, one of the greatest albums ever made. Yes, the others were indeed getting to see the world and pretty much enjoying the road and remember they were young which made the experience even greater. I highly doubt that they weren't having a great time, while Brian did most of the grunt work at home which was a most challenging scenario. Without Brian, Mike and the boys wouldn't have had the great songs to sing. As anyone can see, it cuts both ways. And, as the debate rages on, Brian Wilson was destined to be a musical success story with or without Mike Love who couldn't piece a song together to save his life.
This is one of the most beautiful things ever. Can’t believe it didn’t make Made In California finally.
Why do folks always turn things to a Brian V Mike discussion? Things were going so well for several pages.
I've heard that for years about a 'Til I Die' demo, but have you actually heard it? If not, can you link in the person that has? edit: see following post
Til I Die wasn't slated for Sunflower, but there is a piano-only demo from late 1969, very similar to Don't Talk. Apparently a piano demo for Where is She cut on the same date judging by the sound of that short clip on MIC. The full Til I Die was recorded in August 1970, just after Sunflower came out. Then it was brought out for some finishing touches in 1971.
I have, and I can't say much more than that, sorry. But I think a short clip of it was actually included in an episode of the Sail On podcast. I'll see if I can find the link.
Re the Brian vs Mike thing: I have wistfully dreamed of an alternate universe in which, some time in the 1970s when it became obvious that different members of the band had different musical aspirations, the Beach Boys split amicably; Mike Love and Al Jardine retained the name "Beach Boys" and continued to play the kind of safe material that Love favoured, keeping the fans happy and keeping him happy; and meanwhile the Wilson brothers formed their own band called "Sunflower" and continued to evolve in the progressive direction shown in SMiLE, Sunflower and Surf's Up.
I think they almost did split, sometime after the commercial failure of Sunflower. Or at least there was serious discussion about it. I think the failure of Sunflower was a major turning point for Brian, far more than how SMiLE affected him.
Give us a vintage Loop de Loop mix. WE already have the vintage mix of Susie...was a b-side in 1970. The mix on 15 Big Ones is differnet, but not much.
Bruce wrote the entire song. Brian contributed some lines of lyric that weren't used, Bruce credited him "out of respect." It is a Brian Wilson pastiche with similarities to "The LIttle Girl I Once Knew" and "We're Together Again."
Sometimes I think that kind of thing too, but my head tells me that the Wilson brothers would have spiralled down in to self-destruction much faster than they did. Still...it could have been good. In fairness, Al and even Mike contributed some good stuff to those albums too. It's the late seventies where the band really goes downhill.
