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Hot off the press...
Unpacking the SMiLE Sessions box set
The Beach Boys SMiLE! — Help me Rondo
Dean & Dean?
Brian Wilson: Discusses Amazon.com bonus tracks
Brian Wilson: Hits all the right keys
Buddy Holly features Brian Wilson on title track
Bruce Johnston produces new recordings for Doris Day album
Drumming with frenetics
New Beach Boys single: "Don't Fight The Sea"/"Friends" (a capella)
Mike Love: What You Should Know About Mike Love
Al Jardine: What's "in store" on Record Store Day
Billy Hinsche: Exclusive online interview
Stephen Kalinich: California Feeling
SMiLE: Capitol/EMI official announcement
SMiLE sessions box set: Exclusive online content
The Beach Boys: "Good Vibrations" 78rpm Record Store Day exclusive
SMiLE remembered: "Heroes and Villains"
Mike Love: Exclusive online interview
Al Jardine to reunite with Mike Love & Bruce Johnston: Online exclusive
Scott Totten: Exclusive online interview
Billy Hinsche: 1974 — two-disc director's cut
Brian Wilson: Reimagines Gershwin (review)
Al Jardine: A Postcard From California (review)
Carl Wilson: Youngblood (review)
Brian Wilson: Songwriter 1962-1969 DVD (review)
Summer Fiction: Unforgivingly catchy (review)
The Beach Boys alongside The Beatles: Closed Circuit Broadcast Featuring
Mike Love: Commitment to having fun
T.A.M.I. Show: Restored Beach Boys Footage
East Coast Convention: ESQ Presents A "Pet Sounds Safari"
Brian Wilson: Companion DVD to That Lucky Old Sun
ESQ Private Engagement: Benefit featuring David Marks & Nelson Bragg
Jan Berry: Encomium In Memoriam Vol.1: Jan Berry of Jan & Dean (Review)
Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun
Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue, Bambu (Legacy Edition)
Jan & Dean: The Complete Liberty Singles - (Read the review)
The Beach Boys: U.S. Singles box set
Chris Farmer: California Dreamin'
Unpacking the SMiLE Sessions box set
This is the first time I have made a video, which explains why my eyes are cut out at the top of the video, but it seems to work itself out by the third post. (more)
The Beach Boys SMiLE! — Help me Rondo
Digesting the legend If you’re anything like me you’re counting down the seconds until The Beach Boys SMiLE Sessions are released on November 1 domestically (October 31, internationally). (more)
The “Two Deans”: Dean Torrence and actor Bruce Davison (who played Torrence in the 1978 CBS TV movie Deadman’s Curve) reunited at a recording studio in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 5. (more)
Brian Wilson discusses Amazon.com bonus tracks
With the release of Brian Wilson’s new album In The Key Of Disney, Brian took time out of his busy schedule to discuss his childhood memories of Disney Land and the album’s bonus tracks. (more)
Brian Wilson hits all the right keys
On its own merit, Brian Wilson’s new album, In The Key of Disney should be regarded as an album full of childlike whimsy and lighthearted fun. The strong Wilson-esque production, arrangements and harmonies (on par with Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin) are the real gold in this collection and are vibrant throughout this release. (more)
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly features Brian Wilson on title track
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly – released on September 6, 2011 – mirrors Holly’s broad reach and influence on everything musical. The set features completely new arrangements and adaptations from each artist (that) breathe new life into Holly’s songbook. (more)
Bruce Johnston produces new recordings for Doris Day album
87-year-old Doris Day will release a new album on September 5 called My Heart. The record will be her first release in 17 years. (more)
John Cowsill is all about music. Before the Newport, Rhode Island native joined the Beach Boys in 2001 he was best known for his work as a singer and drummer in the Cowsills, a group comprised of his mother and siblings. (more)
New Beach Boys single now available!
Recently, The Beach Boys agreed that something needed to be done to assist the Red Cross with its Japanese disaster relief efforts. Al Jardine proposed releasing his recording of “Don’t Fight The Sea” as a single, which features Brian & Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. (more).
What you should know about Mike Love...
Of the countless interviews that Mike Love has conducted over his 49-plus years in the music industry, I felt it was about time that fans got to know a different side of him. (more).
Al Jardine - what's "in store" on Record Store Day...
In conjunction with Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16, Al Jardine will be traveling to Amoeba Music’s Berkeley, CA location for an exclusive in store appearance from noon to 1 p.m. to sign the new Beach Boys two-disc 10” “Good Vibrations”/“Heroes And Villains” SMiLE-era 78 rpm. Jardine will also field questions from fans regarding the upcoming SMiLE box set release. (more).
Billy Hinsche - Music Director For Al Jardine
This article is part two in a series of articles on understanding the role of the Music Director in the different bands that are led by Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson. We continue the series with a very familiar name in the Beach Boys’ world…Billy Hinsche. (more).
California Feeling - Words and Music by Stephen Kalinich And Friends
This is the first installment on a brand new release featuring 22 various artists celebrating the words of Stephen Kalinich. Each day, there will be new insight into the recordings on the compilation, with images and (in some cases) accompanying video. (more).
Official SMiLE announcement from Capitol/EMI Records
THE BEACH BOYS’ LEGENDARY ‘SMiLE’ ALBUM SESSIONS TO BE RELEASED THIS YEAR BY CAPITOL/EMI
Never-Before-Released Original 1966-’67 Album Sessions Compiled for 2CD and Digital Packages and Deluxe, Limited Edition Box Set (more).
The SMiLE Sessions box set to see release this year!
It was announced today at Billboard.com that Capitol Records is indeed releasing a SMiLE sessions box set that will include original Beach Boys sessions in three versions: a two-CD set, an iTunes LP digital album and a limited-edition boxed set (more).
Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” 78RPM Double Vinyl Single Set
CAPITOL/EMI TO RELEASE LIMITED EDITION VINYL FOR THE BEACH BOYS In support of Record Store Day, Capitol/EMI announced today that it is set to release The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” 78RPM Double Vinyl Single Set to be sold exclusively by participating independent music retailers across the U.S. on Saturday, April 16. (more).
SMiLE remembered — Part 1: Heroes and Villains
Initially teased for a January 1967 release, again in the early 1970's, the late 1980’s and mid 1990’s, SMiLE has become the Beach Boys lost, albeit unfinished, masterpiece. (more).
Something new and fresh for the Beach Boys 50th
In this exclusive interview with Mike Love, he discusses the possibilities that lie ahead for The Beach Boys in 2011 and beyond. (more).
Al Jardine to reunite with The Beach Boys for
Reagan tribute concert
Today, Al Jardine notified his legion of Facebook followers, that he and fellow founding member Brian Wilson had been invited by Mike Love to join Love on stage for the upcoming Ronald Reagan tribute concert (more).
Music Directors — Part 1: Scott Totten
This article is Part One in a series of articles on understanding the role of the Music Director in the different bands that are led by Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson. We begin the series with The Beach Boys' Scott Totten (more).
Billy Hinsche’s Beach Boy vision
While any discussion of an official Beach Boys reunion is premature and unconfirmed, the first release of 2011 using the phrase “50th Anniversary 2 DISC Collector’s Edition” comes from a familiar place: one time band member Billy Hinsche of Dino, Desi & Billy fame. Today Hinsche maintains familial and professional ties with the group (more).
Brian Wilson’s rhapsody in brilliance
There was 2004’s majestic Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, then 2008’s colorful That Lucky Old Sun – both evocative collections in Wilson’s catalogue. Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is an album that is something else altogether; in touching George and Ira Gershwin’s venerable catalogue, Wilson has taken his own unique approach to composing and has actually made Gershwin his own (more).
Al Jardine’s postcard delivered the goods
Since the release of Dennis Wilson’s spectacular Pacific Ocean Blue in 1977, Beach Boys fans have been treated to studio album releases from all the members except Al Jardine. That was until June 2010, when he released A Postcard From California in a digital-only format (more).
While there are few defining solo musical efforts from the members of The Beach Boys, Carl Wilson, the youngest sibling to older brothers Brian and Dennis, did mange to briefly capture lightning in a bottle on this 1983 release (more).
Brian Wilson Songwriter 1962 - 1969
For years Brian Wilson/Beach Boys fans have been exposed to mostly over-exaggerated and misdirected storylines filled with hyperbolae regarding Brian Wilson. (More).
Summer Fiction is unforgivingly catchy
Bouncing out of the speakers with a happy go-lucky Summer Days [And Summer Nights!!!] vibe, the opening track, “She's Bound to Get Hurt,” sounds like a direct answer to Brian Wilson’s “You’re So Good To Me.” (More).
The Beach Boys alongside the Beatles
In an exclusive, Alan Boyd, director of the documentary Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story, shared the news of the premiere of The Beatles First American Concert Closed Circuit Broadcast Featuring The Beach Boysand Lesley Gore. (More).
Mike Love’s commitment to having “Fun, Fun, Fun”
It was September 1961 when Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson gathered together at Hite Morgan’s home studio. The Beach Boys, then the Pendletones, recorded their first studio tracks. That was nearly 50 years ago. (More).
T.A.M.I. Show - Teenage Awards Music International:
Restored Beach Boys Footage
The Beach Boys footage finally restored in its entirety to this Jan & Dean hosted theatrical release. Read David Beard's full review in the Spring edition of ESQ.
ESQ PRESENTS A "PET SOUNDS SAFARI" to benefit the Cornelius Animal Shelter
Highlights from the Sept. 11 & 12 event held at Midtown Sundries @ Lake Norman, Cornelius, NC and Homewood Suites in Davidson, NC:
All Photos © Daniel Coston Photgraphy, Gretchen Hale, and Buzzie Kelly
For more info. about the Cornelius Animal Shelter, go to: www.corneliusanimalshelter.com
BRIAN WILSON: COMPANION DVD to "That Lucky Old Sun"
Capitol/EMI will release a new Brian Wilson DVD entitled That Lucky Old Sun on January 27, 2009.
A companion to Wilson's critically-acclaimed That Lucky Old Sun album, released September 2 on CD, vinyl and digitally, the DVD features more than two and a half hours of content, including a full-length live performance of the album, a new feature-length documentary and additional behind-the-scenes footage from the album's recording sessions, and some of Wilson's recently filmed promotional performances and interviews.
The new That Lucky Old Sun DVD features a full-length performance of Wilson's latest album, filmed live at Capitol Studios on May 19, 2008 in 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo audio, as well as a new feature-length film, Going Home, directed and edited by George Dougherty, which documents the making of the album and Wilson's return to his original record label, Capitol Records.
Bonus Materials include Audio Commentary and Recent High-Profile Promotional Interviews and Performances for Yahoo! Music, MySpace & "Black Cab Sessions"
BRIAN WILSON That Lucky Old Sun (DVD)
'That Lucky Old Sun' performance (Capitol Studios, Studio A: May 19, 2008)
Filmed performance of entire album by Brian Wilson and his band (5.1 Surround / 2.0 Stereo)
Visit Brianwilson.com for more information
ENDLESS SUMMER QUARTERLY PRESENTS A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC FEATURING DAVID MARKS: A private engagement for the benefit of the Cornelius Animal Shelter
Photos © 2008 Daniel Coston
JAN BERRY - Encomium In Memoriam, Vol. 1:
Jan Berry of Jan & Dean
www.jananddean-janberry.com
This is NOT another Jan & Dean's greatest hits package. With 30 cuts, only 4 out of the 20 different songs could be considered hit singles. What you get is an authentic and, it seems to me, a love-prompted, tribute to Jan Berry. Encomium (formal expression of praise) In Memoriam is just that; affirmation and appreciation for the unheralded and mostly unheard work of Jan Berry the songwriter. "EIM" is the product of Cameron Michael Parkes' and Mark A. Moore's meticulous efforts to recreate the Jan Berry signature sound; his oboes and strings and orchestral approach to rock are all there as are some glorious background vocals. A more than fitting tribute; a more than satisfying listening experience.
This tribute shatters the myth that Jan Berry merely recorded Brian Wilson songs to score a few hits after Jan & Dean's early ballad or do-wop period had run out of gas. The scope and depth of the unreleased (and some not even bootlegged) tunes have never been heard by most listeners. Utilizing the original charts Jan used in the studio, the producers have done so much more than merely cover hits we've heard hundreds of times. They have produced a listening experience that chronicles Jan Berry's progress as a writer and producer. They take us from scenes of the surf and streets of summer to themes of love and hate, depression and drugs, psychedelic and spiritual enlightenment. They reveal a Jan Berry who both before (I was surprised at how much I enjoyed a new (to me) tune from Jan's early days, 1962's Ace of Hearts) and after his debilitating car accident, was thinking and creating good music. Too bad it has taken forty years for these songs to bless our ears.
Some have said Save for a Rainy Day was Dean Torence's SMiLE - If so, EIM certainly gives cause to believe the other partner in that duo, Jan Berry, was close to his masterpiece as well. Listening to this CD gets me wondering what might have happened had Jan had completed and Warner Brothers had released the Carnival of Sound album as originally scheduled for 1968. These full length, full sound, versions of Carnival of Sound and Fan Tan and Blowin' My Mind will bring joy to those who have only heard studio snippets. And hearing Jan struggle to speak a full sentence in a post-1966-accident interview on one of the bonus tracks reminded me of his courage to overcome (or at least never give into) his disabilities and helped me realize how much music we missed. This CD gives us some of his genius that he was unable to bring to satisfactory completion.
Encomium in Memoriam (I love new words - encomium; who ever heard of that before?) has also been called an all-star tribute and that is more than promotional hype. Where do I begin? Jill Gibson, THE Jill Gibson, Jan's former girlfriend and co-song-writer * and background voice on the original, takes lead on the beautiful ballad When It's Over ... Paul Johnson (Surfaris, Wipe Out ), puts a lead guitar on the instrumental "'B' Gas Rickshaw (Quasimoto) that surpasses the original ... Beach Boy David Marks steps in on lead guitar on Bat No. 1 ** ... P. F. Sloan, co-writer on the great Jan and Dan single I Found a Girl *** -- Vic Diaz of the Matadors (Move Out Little Mustang) -- Don Grady ("Yellow Balloon" are just a few of the special guests that help this project sound authentic Jan Berry. Complimenting those original team members, we also get contemporary fans like Probyn "Wondermint" Gregory, Tripsitter, and Alan Boyd ("Channel Surfin'").
Bonus tracks are usually more miss than hit but EIM gives us several gems. The a capella excerpt from The Anaheim, Azusa ... is a unique example of what a Jan & Dean with a Beach Boys' vocal would have sounded like. Hard to improve any J&D hit but this comes close. And who among us wouldn't give their right arm to have been in the studio for a J&D or BB recording session! The Audio Montage cuts do just that. Hearing Jan talk with Arnie as they get set to record, listening to him interact with Brian Wilson, and role play as a radio DJ broadcasting from KJAN - great musical history.
New products like this give me hope that the music of Jan Berry and Brian Wilson (and others in the surf, sand, and street genre) will be made more and more accessible, even when the original writers/singers have passed from the scene. New versions, like these, faithful to the original intent and executed with love will keep this music alive and fresh for generations to come. And seeing Vol. 1 on this tribute CD gives me hope for a second volume that I hope includesSpring Break from Jan's 1997 Second Wave release. And, while I'm at it, how about Ocean Park Angel and ...
Footnotes:
- * Jill also co-wrote It's As Easy as 1,2,3 which is included on this CD. Lisa Mychols' lead vocal gives this a fresh, even Sheryl Crow like, sunshine sound. Hitsville if released today. You wait and see...
- ** Bachian harpsichords from a section that never made it onto the totally ignored and, sadly, misunderstood, "Batman" album. Bat Np. 4 reveals the amazing music underneath the shtick comedy (which in itself was Monkees before their were Monkees).
- ***The volume always gets cranked up for I Found A Girl. This underrated single, much like The Little Girl I Once Knew for the Beach Boys, gave promise of a new direction and a strong new Jan Berry sound. Now that we are past Top 40 myopia, tunes like this can take their rightful place in the J&D canon of great music.
BRIAN WILSON: "That Lucky Old Sun"
Brian Wilson returns to Capitol Records to release his new musical opus "That Lucky Old Sun." Available on CD and Deluxe CD/DVD, Limited Edition Vinyl & Digital Download on September 2.
Visit Brianwilson.com to watch the new trailer for 'That Lucky Old Sun.'
DENNIS WILSON - Pacific Ocean Blue - Legacy Edition
[LIMITED EDITION]:
"The essence of man caught on tape with previously unreleased material. The end result is one of an enhanced and more complex understanding of Dennis Wilson; a deeply troubled soul with a musical gift rivaling that of his older brother Brian." - ENDLESS SUMMER QUARTERLY
Available June 17
"Everything that I am or will ever be is in the music. If you want to know me, just listen." - Dennis Wilson
- Deluxe Edition Two CD set of 33 tracks with Limited Edition First Run Collector's Packaging
- Dennis' second album Bambu
- Limited Edition deluxe packaging feature 50 page, full color book with two brand new essays & never-before-seen photos and memorabilia.
JAN & DEAN - The Complete Liberty Singles:
Available June 17 to Collector's Choice Music members - in stores August 26.
The most comprehensive Jan & Dean set ever
- Every A and B-side in its original mono mix
- Original picture sleeve art
- Full color 20 page booklet with rare pictures
- The rare Jan Berry single "The Universal Coward" / "I Can't Wait To Love You"
Review of "The Complete Liberty Singles" By Tom Martin
It is not often you find collections of hits by famous artists purposely re-mastered in Mono. The new Collector's Choice double cd set JAN & DEAN: THE COMPLETE LIBERTY SINGLES is the exception to the rule. In an age where stereo master tapes are remixed with longer endings. Unused vocals and instruments buried for years under mono compression are brought to the front, this collection is a reminder why the songs were hits in their original form.
It has been told that singer/producer Jan Berry was a perfectionist. He would go to great lengths to make the mono mixes sound perfect for broadcast to mono car radios in the 1960's. In order to review the double disc set with the proper mindset, I listened to all 42 songs in my car. The original 45 rpm mono mixes give these songs a punch never heard on compact disc. My car stereo will never be the same... mono was the winner here! For years these mixes have been lost and it is a shame. Berry was a big fan of echo effects in his early Do-Wop recordings. The mono versions on this set demonstrate how much echo Berry continued to use on the duo's biggest hits including, "Surf City," "The New Girl in School" and "Dead Man's Curve." The echo effect was lost on all of the stereo cd re-issues over the years.
The hit songs are all represented from, "Surf City," "Linda," "Drag City," "Dead Man's Curve," "Sidewalk Surfin," "I found a Girl" and "Batman." It also includes songs rarely documented on cd such as, "A Sunday Kind of Love," "Frosty the Snowman," "Popsicle," "The Submarine Races," and Berry's solo release "I Can't Wait to Love You." One pet-peeve of mine with previous stereo remixes was rectified on this collection. "Freeway Flier" has the original police siren and not the lame 1980's version of a police siren. Finally, I can rest in peace now that "Freeway Flier" is on cd in its original form.
If the music mix isn't enough of a draw for you, there is always the liner notes, which lists the chronology of the singles released and Berry's recording techniques during the Liberty years. The time the duo spent on the Liberty label was when Jan & Dean released the bulk of their most successful songs. For the novice, this gives a historical time line of Jan & Dean's career on record and each picture sleeve from the 45s for visual aid. The collection details Jan & Dean's first Liberty single to their last, a Jan Berry solo single and a proposed 45 release on the label. You might not want to listen to all of the 42 songs at one sitting in your car like I did, but all-in-all this collection is a winner.
The Beach Boys: U.S. Singles Collection - The Capitol Years (1962-1965). Available now.
This limited edition boxed set includes:
- 16 CD singles each with faithfully reproduced original single artwork
- The original 'A' and 'B'-sides, plus alternate versions from mono and stereo mixes to live recordings
- Eight previously unreleased mixes
- A 48-page hardbound photo book with sand finish
- Housed in a striking '60s hotrod and surfboard-inspired red and yellow box with wood inlay
Visit TheBeachBoys.com for a virtual box tour...
Available now.
A brand new 14-track collection from the Jan & Dean and Beach Boys Band member bass player. Includes: Mike Kowalski, Jeffrey Foskett and Adrian Baker.
Visit ChrisFarmermusic.com and Theocbeachband.com