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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 4, 2008 10:31:36 GMT -5
I luckily caught Brian Wilson live on the Tonight Show last night(09/03/08)where he and the band did Going Home.
Brian had the same demeanor as he did the last time on that show when he did "Heroes and Villains." In other words, he had that same "deer in the headlights" look and was doing the hand and arm gestures(pointing to his heart and brain) as either a child or an emotionally handicapped person would. Really, Brian has both of those elements in his persona.
Yet, it was an endearing performance from his strong new album. As always happens to the show ending bands, Jay Leno ran out and shook Brian's hand but Brian was cut off in trying to say something.
Brian can wail on the piano and several other instruments but in concert he merely uses the keyboard as a prop. I suppose that is part of his legendary stagefright. We are lucky that he sings.
No matter what his own state of personal clarity, he is still the musical conductor and if he hears something onstage he doesn't like, he shoots a stern look over at the offending musician. One sees in that shades of his having Carl, Mike, Al and Dennis do and redo their vocal parts until they got it perfect.
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Post by OldFred on Sept 4, 2008 10:41:18 GMT -5
I luckily caught Brian Wilson live on the Tonight Show last night(09/03/08)where he and the band did Going Home. Brian had the same demeanor as he did the last time on that show when he did "Heroes and Villains." In other words, he had that same "deer in the headlights" look and was doing the hand and arm gestures(pointing to his heart and brain) as either a child or an emotionally handicapped person would. Really, Brian has both of those elements in his persona. Yet, it was an endearing performance from his strong new album. As always happens to the show ending bands, Jay Leno ran out and shook Brian's hand but Brian was cut off in trying to say something. Brian can wail on the piano and several other instruments but in concert he merely uses the keyboard as a prop. I suppose that is part of his legendary stagefright. We are lucky that he sings. No matter what his own state of personal clarity, he is still the musical conductor and if he hears something onstage he doesn't like, he shoots a stern look over at the offending musician. One sees in that shades of his having Carl, Mike, Al and Dennis do and redo their vocal parts until they got it perfect. Brian was much more animated when I saw him perform 'Smile' at Carnegie Hall a few years ago. During the encores he played bass and was dancing about the stage and shook hands with the fans at the lip of the stage. The Carnegie Hall performance was one of the best concerts I've ever seen and Brian looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself and having a lot of fun.
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 4, 2008 11:29:06 GMT -5
I luckily caught Brian Wilson live on the Tonight Show last night(09/03/08)where he and the band did Going Home. Brian had the same demeanor as he did the last time on that show when he did "Heroes and Villains." In other words, he had that same "deer in the headlights" look and was doing the hand and arm gestures(pointing to his heart and brain) as either a child or an emotionally handicapped person would. Really, Brian has both of those elements in his persona. Yet, it was an endearing performance from his strong new album. As always happens to the show ending bands, Jay Leno ran out and shook Brian's hand but Brian was cut off in trying to say something. Brian can wail on the piano and several other instruments but in concert he merely uses the keyboard as a prop. I suppose that is part of his legendary stagefright. We are lucky that he sings. No matter what his own state of personal clarity, he is still the musical conductor and if he hears something onstage he doesn't like, he shoots a stern look over at the offending musician. One sees in that shades of his having Carl, Mike, Al and Dennis do and redo their vocal parts until they got it perfect. Brian was much more animated when I saw him perform 'Smile' at Carnegie Hall a few years ago. During the encores he played bass and was dancing about the stage and shook hands with the fans at the lip of the stage. The Carnegie Hall performance was one of the best concerts I've ever seen and Brian looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself and having a lot of fun. Fred, that was my exact experience too in Chicago. I saw Brian first on the Tonight Show do "Heroes and Villians" and it was historic for sure but a rather disquieting performance for the reasons I set out above. I thought to myself, "Uh oh, this concert could be a major letdown." Far from it. I have written on it before here(and the old Board) and it was one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to and that includes eleven Paul McCartney concerts I have been lucky enough to see since 1989. Sure the band is great everynight but Brian was also animated in Chicago. He loved the old Auditorium we were in. His wife Melinda sat 15 yards to my right and she had a camcorder filming it and Brian would walk to the edge of the stage and ham it up for her. I was just getting ready to go to sleep when I saw Jay hold up the vinyl record cover to "That Lucky Old Sun"(it is a beautiful album cover best enhanced in record album form). I was upstairs in the bedroom so I jumped out of bed and got as close to the screen as I could and turned the sound up so as not to wake my wife. I had no chance to get downstairs to record this. Brian's voice was rather husky, ragged. Television studios aren't the most engaging places for singers it seems. He'll get his touring voice as we can only hope Paul will should he decide to tour beyond his current schedule of one-off shows in interesting places.
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 4, 2008 13:25:16 GMT -5
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Post by OldFred on Sept 4, 2008 15:54:04 GMT -5
Just got both versions of 'That Lucky Old Sun' in the mail today, the deluxe and the bonus cuts version from Best Buy. The songs with Carole King are quite nice, very reminiscent of King's early Girl Group/Spector hits. The cover of 'I'm Into Something Good' is particularly good, especially when you consider King co-wrote it with Gerry Goffin. Well worth picking up.
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 4, 2008 16:27:27 GMT -5
The cover of 'I'm Into Something Good' is particularly good, especially when you consider King co-wrote it with Gerry Goffin. Well worth picking up. Yes, I quite liked "I'm Into Something Good" although I don't know the history of that song. It sounded familar to me. Who had a hit with this Goffin/King song?
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Sept 4, 2008 16:49:53 GMT -5
The cover of 'I'm Into Something Good' is particularly good, especially when you consider King co-wrote it with Gerry Goffin. Well worth picking up. Yes, I quite liked "I'm Into Something Good" although I don't know the history of that song. It sounded familar to me. Who had a hit with this Goffin/King song? Herman's Hermits.
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Post by OldFred on Sept 4, 2008 17:32:16 GMT -5
Yes, I quite liked "I'm Into Something Good" although I don't know the history of that song. It sounded familar to me. Who had a hit with this Goffin/King song? Herman's Hermits. Was first recorded by The Cookies in 1964, then months later Herman's Hermits also had a hit with it and their version is considered the definitive version. Herman's Hermits Earl Jean of The Cookies
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Sept 4, 2008 17:51:58 GMT -5
Was first recorded by The Cookies in 1964, then months later Herman's Hermits also had a hit with it and their version is considered the definitive version. Herman's Hermits Earl Jean of The Cookies Thank you for the correction, sir.
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Post by OldFred on Sept 4, 2008 17:54:08 GMT -5
Was first recorded by The Cookies in 1964, then months later Herman's Hermits also had a hit with it and their version is considered the definitive version. Herman's Hermits Earl Jean of The Cookies Thank you for the correction, sir. No problem, sir. And as you know, administered with the greatest respect.
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Post by revolver66 on Sept 5, 2008 0:57:12 GMT -5
I always thought that was a Hermits track(written for them). Glad to hear the New Brian CD getting good reviews. How about a Review from you Old Fred? Thanks in Advance!
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Post by Sir Frankie Crisp on Sept 6, 2008 9:23:33 GMT -5
I have only listened to "That Lucky Old Sun" a couple of times but a few things jump out at me. Firstly, it sounds to me like the arrangement of the title track has been spun on its head and infused with Prozac. I'm more familiar with the Louis Armstrong version (and even more recently Johnny Cash), so listening to an upbeat, chirpy approach to this old classic takes some getting used to.
Secondly, I would have hired someone like Ken Nordine or Johnny Depp to recite the spoken word passages. They could have added a dramatic element to the music with their phrasing and sense of timing. As it is, the spoken passages that Brian recites almost sound like a drone without any emotion. He sounds rushed, without any flair for timing or drama. It worked wonders for Mike Oldfield many years ago when he hired that mad genius Vivian Stanshall to introduce the instruments that were being played on "Tubular Bells." Even the Moody Blues employed the rich baritone of Graeme Edge and it gave their music a different texture. It seems like Brian missed a great opportunity to elevate the album as a whole.
The music itself is like a pastiche of 50's and 60's music and it's clear that Brian's sense of melody is still intact. I have to give it more time to truly get a sense of what's happening but my initial reaction is very positive. The album cover is fab too - it radiates sunshine.
As a side note - anyone who enjoys this type of music would be well advised to check out The High Llamas. They are to Brian Wilson what Badfinger is to The Beatles. They have created two unheard of masterpieces, "Gideon Gaye" and "Beet, Maize and Corn." Their music is similar to "Pet Sounds" era Beach Boys, complete with lush orchestration and harmonies. They come highly recommended.
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Sept 6, 2008 10:10:32 GMT -5
I have only listened to "That Lucky Old Sun" a couple of times but a few things jump out at me. Firstly, it sounds to me like the arrangement of the title track has been spun on its head and infused with Prozac. I'm more familiar with the Louis Armstrong version (and even more recently Johnny Cash), so listening to an upbeat, chirpy approach to this old classic takes some getting used to. I'm not sure I agree with you. I like what he did to the arrangement. You're probably right (though Nordine is dead, I believe). Agreed. This was really wanted I wanted to comment on. I was a big fan of the Llamas for a while until they got electronic. I haven't heard any of their albums past "Cold and Bouncy" and "Santa Barbara," but "Gideon Gaye" and "Hawaii" are astounding. I recommend both. They're very Beach Boy/Brian Wilson-ish.
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Post by Beatle Bob on Sept 16, 2008 11:36:11 GMT -5
I still haven't gotten a-hold of the demos for this album to compare, but I've played the album more than a few times already and for me I find the album slow to get moving but eventually grows on you. The first part of the album has a lack of memorable melodies and there are too many "moon/june" type of rhyming lyics. Like Ringo's latest album *LOL* There are a few tracks that have grown on me especially the later half of the album from "Oxygen To The Brain" onward. The narrative pieces I barely tolerate and can live without. "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl" I find I was disappointed and thought musically it would have more of a nod to the Beach Boys' sound. That's the problem. The album has a "sound" that to me is MOR and quite bland. There is no spark. I'm tired of Brian's mid-60's production sound and techniques that he's locked into. It gets boring imo. Be nice to hear more than one song that's electic guitar based. But get rid of the saxophones please. Songs like "Midnight's Another Day" finally have some emotion, "Going Home" stands out as a nice rocker for a change with a rare gritty Brian vocal. "Southern California" evokes a nice image. I'm very much on the fence. To me the backing tracks have a bland SMILE feel to them. On the Best Buy bonus trax version I have, I prefer "Good Kind Of Love" with Carol King and it should have been subsituted for the album version. The cover with Carol of "I'm Into Something Good" is a real suprise and a gem of a cover from Brian. It works! "Just Like Me And You" is another bonus trax that is better than most tracks on the album. So in a nutshell, I'm feeling very mixed about this album, but I'm glad for Brian's sake he's staying creative, involved and on the Special Editon DVD, looking and seemingly happy and relaxed. Regards, Beatle Bob
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2008 7:35:55 GMT -5
I would disagree that C & C was "as good as the best of his solo and BEATLES work". Solo? Perhaps (although I believe its weaker than early 70's McCartney). As good as his best Beatles work? Not even close. I do appreciate the article though. Thanks Would you at least agree that 'Jenny Wren' is up to the quality of a 'Yesterday' or 'Eleanor Rigby'? No i don't think Jenny Wren is comparable with any of his Beatles tunes,it's just a tune that has a familiar style of accompaniment.. C+C is overrated,it's acclaim is due entirely to Driving Rain being a Turkey and C+C being it's more polished follow up.The album is almost one paced and the songs aren't all that good,especially from someone of pauls ilk....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2008 7:47:01 GMT -5
Brian's new album didn't do as well as i expected,it seemed to vanish almost as soon as it was released,there's no mention of it here since it was reviewed.I found it a bit disappointing in comparison to some of his other solo work
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