A "stream of consciousness" observation on music and how we relate to it. How we purchase, listen to and enjoy music is changing. What does it mean to be a music fan in a world where every song, performance and video is literally at your fingertips? I hope to be a guide to this new world of musical experience. Featuring tunes and comments about artists, old and new in nearly every genre.
The Beatles and the Beach Boys are, without a doubt, my two favorite recording artists of all-time. 1 and 1A. A few moments ago, I purchased tickets to the Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour at Pine Knob (what us ol' folks call "DTE Music Theater"). I have attended some 50 Beach Boys, Brian Wilson solo and Carl Wilson solo shows combined. As Ray Davies sang in "Rock N Roll Fantasy" I have seen them "high and seen them low." I have seen outstanding early 70's shows where Carl would sit at a keyboard and sing "Caroline No." I got to see a show in 1979 with what I would consider the entire classic Beach Boys lineup. Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love and early Brian Wilson stand-in Bruce Johnston who became, due to his long-time contributions to the band, an integral part of the Beach Boys sound. I have seen them perform shows were they appeared to "phone-in" their performance. One disastrous show in particular stands out. At a show in the early 80's at the Michigan State Fair, Brian was so out-of-it, it did not appear that he even knew where he was.
The Reunion tour lineup will feature Brian, Mike, Al and Bruce along with short-time original Beach Boy (and sometime Al Jardine replacement) David Marks. I personally would love to see the lineup filled out with mid-70's members Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin (who memorably sang lead on "Sail On Sailor.") but as the band that Blondie tours with and sings back up for, the Rolling Stones sang, "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
I will, of course, very much miss irreplaceable voices Carl and Dennis Wilson, but the combination of these classic Beach Boys, fronting the crack Brian Wilson band, should make for a fine show! Brian Wilson solo shows of the last 10 years, fronting a big band that features key former Beach Boys sideman Jeff Foskett, and LA's Wondermints were "can't-miss" musical events. While I did happen to see the Mike Love-Bruce Johnston licensed "Beach Boys", and found them to be enjoyable, they did not hold a candle to Brian's solo shows.
Here's a little taste of some classic live Beach Boys to show you what these guys were capable of in their prime.
14 years ago, the angelic voice of Beach Boy Carl Wilson was stilled by lung cancer that had spread to his brain. Carl had been diagnosed the previous summer and had valiantly joined the Beach Boys on their summer tour. Spending much of the time sitting on his stool, bloated by chemotherapy and apparently wearing a wig, Carl's voice didn't appear to be weakened by the ravages of cancer. Or, at least that was what I told myself from my 2nd row seat at Pine Knob. I did not fail to notice that Carl would help himself to hits of oxygen between songs.
Late that same summer, I had received the bad news that my father was suffering from terminal lung cancer and was given a few months to live. The doctor's bleak diagnosis turned out to be correct and he died on Pearl Harbor day 1997.
My Dad and Carl were both smokers all of their lives. I followed the news of Carl's fight with interest, and rooted for him just like I rooted for my Dad. When I heard the news, around Christmas, that original short-term Beach Boy David Marks had taken Carl's place I feared the worst. Those fears were confirmed when Carl succumbed on February 6, 1998. I remember seeing the news reported on the front page of the Sunday Free Press. To lose my Dad to Cancer, and then one of my musical heroes, two months apart, from the same illness was grimly ironic. I was still mired in depression at the time of Carl's death, just starting to climb out of my haze. My Dad had died very young, in his early 60's after beating the odds a few years previously on a brain aneurysm. How could this be? And now Carl Wilson was dead. He was 51 years old. It felt like the pit of depression that I had fallen into was lined with walls of slick ice.
I bumped around in my depressed state for another couple of months, not truly coming out of it until my son, Lucas, was born on April 16.
By the way, I had the good fortune to meet Carl on several occasions and actually spent several hours in his company. The picture of myself with Carl back in the early 80s is one of my most treasured bits of musical memorabilia. He was a really good guy, extremely patient with his fans.
Carl's angelic tenor/falsetto can be heard fronting the Beach Boys on such classics as "Good Vibrations," "God Only Knows, " "Darlin'" and maybe my favorite Carl vocal "I Can Hear Music." To dip a toe into the well of this man's talent is rewarding indeed. Carl would never be the greatest songwriter in the Beach Boys. He was in brother Brian Wilson's shadow and was later eclipsed by his brother Dennis Wilson. But he had that voice. Here are two Carl songs from the great 1971 "Surf's Up" album. Enjoy!
"Feel Flows" was featured over the end credits of the cool flick "Almost Famous!"
"Long Promised Road" set to some vintage footage of Carl wandering around London during their 69 tour!
For a band that has been around for nearly 50 years, the Beach Boys have had quite a year. It was announced yesterday that the remaining Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston were going to reunite at the Grammys next year. Not the same without the late Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson but I am nevertheless looking forward to it. Their Smile Sessions box set was picked by Rolling Stone as reissue of the year, just beating out U2. It was also their highest charting release in decades.
In 1969, the 5 touring Beach Boys (meaning no Brian) hit Europe for a tour of the British Isles and the continent. Backed by a crackling horn session, the Beach Boys committed about half of their live show to vinyl. At times sloppy, with sophomoric humor by ringleader Mike Love, the Beach Boys 69 album nevertheless is a welcome document of a time when All You Needed was Love and "Good Vibrations" were going to rule the world. The biggest single release of the BB's career, number 6 on the Rolling Stone top 500 our song of the day is the live-in-69 "Good Vibrations." This version is used in the game Rock Band 3!
