Beach Boys on Imus tomorrow, 7-6-06....

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 5 Jul 2006 9:58 am

I just wanted to get this straight because the other post seemed to be a little misleading after I posted it; sorry.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 5 Jul 2006 2:40 pm

Well, maybe the "half-as*ed Beach Boys" which includes Mike Love and Bruce Johnston.

Though a couple of weeks ago they appeared in public for the first time in 10 years together with Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, and there is the beginning of speculation that they could go back into the studio together.

These guys have had more lawsuits going against each other than could choke a horse!

I read today that Brian Wilson, who like Paul McCartney, just turned 64, has been writing some songs with Burt Bacharach.

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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 05 July 2006 at 03:41 PM.]

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 5 Jul 2006 9:25 pm

yeah, I'd much rather see Brian Wilson's live act or even Al Jardine's. Poor Al can't even use the word "beach" in his band name, thanks to Mike Love. And don't get me started on Bruce Johnston (who did actually write Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs" about Brian Wilson!)

can't wait to hear these Bacharach/Wilson collaborations!

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 5 Jul 2006 9:35 pm

Bacharach and Wilson??? Those two guys are the musical icons of the 1960s for me.

I always preferred the Beach Boys to the Beatles, and I learned so much about chords and theory just figuring out Burt's stuff.

I can't wait!

RR

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jul 2006 10:13 am

Several years ago, we took our kids to their first ever concert, Brian Wilson with his excellent band. This was the first tour he did after many years of self-imposed exile from the road (with the exception of being a "figurehead" at the odd Beach Boys concert). We wanted to start those kids off on the right foot.

Then awhile back, my son, who is 19 and a fine young guitarist, accompanied me to the Brian Wilson "Smile" concert at the San Francisco Opera House. An amazing evening of music!

When I used to own a retail nursery near the coast in Carmel, Al Jardine and his wife were customers (they own a ranch in Big Sur). Al is a real nice fellow and I enjoyed talking to him about music, even though he would rather talk about plants.

I always thought he had a lot more talent than he was ever given credit for. A good vocalist, and he has written or co-written some pretty good songs.

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Mark

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jul 2006 10:15 am

The Forum's Al Vescovo, who hasn't been posting much lately, is reputed to have played pedal steel on some Beach Boys sessions years ago.

Al, we'd love to hear a story or two about that!

Actually, in regards to "I Write The Songs," I was at a Beach Boys concert in the 70's and they did that tune, with Bruce singing lead. I have to tell you it came off a whole lot cooler than when Manilow did it (and had a huge hit)!
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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 06 July 2006 at 11:18 AM.]

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 6 Jul 2006 10:50 am

Love's version played the Waikiki Shell last night but after the pathetic show Brian did a year ago at the same venue I stayed home rather than further dilute the memory of the truly awesome gig the original 5 did here in '79, the second of a 2 night stand.
The first night must have been a bad one as the next morning's paper slagged them big time, so I was pretty bummed after huge anticipation of finally seeing only the original 5 Beach Boys. So it was interesting having Jardine address it before the show as he appologized saying they would do thier very best for us, AND DID THEY! It couldn't have been better, with only Charles Lloyd (who opened) joining briefly on flute in fine style.

Without a doubt one of the best gigs ever by this great American band.
It'd be great if they did join up again for a new album.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 6 Jul 2006 11:39 am

One thing to take note of in the latest press of the Beach Boys appearing for the photo shoot on top of the Capital Records building is the inclusion of David Marks who was one of the members on several of the early albums. He got shuffled out by Murry Wilson and has really received a raw deal for many years to the point of almost forgotten as a member of the Beach Boys at their most important early stage. Nice to see him included in this. It would be cool if they managed to get together and do some manner of music--depends on whether or not the lawyers and handlers allow it.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jul 2006 12:22 pm

Wow, Ron, too bad about your Brian experience. Was this still part of the "Smile" tour? The show in S.F. received rave reviews.

Bill, I should have mentioned Marks at the public appearance in my earlier post. He definitely got the shaft from Murry Wilson. On the other hand, he was sort of a bit player in the first 2, maybe 3 albums with the word "surf" or "surfin'" in the title, and was in the group for a little over a year, year and a half at most.

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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 06 July 2006 at 01:23 PM.]

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 6 Jul 2006 12:53 pm

Mark.

David Marks played on the first FOUR Beachboys recordings-like four of the most important records they did! He was only 14 when he started. His singing voice had not changed yet but he still deserved more credit and was not just a "bit" player. There was actually a time when Marks and Jardine were in the band at the same time when Jardine came back from dental school.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 6 Jul 2006 1:06 pm

Hey there Mark, no it wasn't the current/recent Smile tour but just prior to it (maybe 2 years ago, time flys when yer having fun!). However having heard all the positive revues at the time and being a big fan I went and was shocked at the terrible performance. Brian and band, along with the production 'looked' great, but it was like getting one of those big chocolate bunnies for Easter, when you find out it's totally hollow inside. It could have been SO much more!

I don't know what he can do in the studio these day's but it's great to hear that they are finally giving Marks some due, even if he was there for a fairly short time.

There used to be a 'bootleg' record swap meet one Sunday every month in the Capital Records parking lot that was unreal. You could get great illegal music right under their noses, and cheap!
Now you can get it legal, free, and at home- www.wolfgangsvault.com

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jul 2006 1:34 pm

Bill, I'm pretty sure that David was on Surfin' Safari, Surfer Girl, and Surfin' USA. I saw on some internet site that said the word "four," but unless you can come up with it, I still think it's three. The next album would have been Shut Down Volume II (there never was a Volume I) and Al was definitely back in for that one.

These are all on vinyl in boxes on a garage rack, but I don't have the time right now to look them up.

Surfin' Safari, though there are obviously some good vocals, has some pretty sophomoric instrument playing-these guys were still learning at that point. Brian started to bring in some studio musicians for the next two.

Even though there are some wonderful songs on the first three albums (like Surfer Girl and In My Room) I can't believe anyone that is an avid long time fan would ever refer to those as being the most important!

The fourth album, started really showing the brilliance, with "Don't Worry Baby," arguably one of the greatest ballads in the history of rock music. Songs like "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls" also came later. Not to mention the lesser known hit "Wendy" from the Summer Days & Summer Nights album. There is nothing in those early albums, except for the songs I cited above, that can hold a candle to that tune. Then the album "Pet Sounds" which is still my favorite of them all, and often pointed to as being perhaps Brian's greatest achievement, in a musical sense.

After that, the song I would send to a distant planet in a time capsule to define for aliens the whole genre of music in a nutshell: "Good Vibrations."

The three "Surf" albums gave hints of the genius of Brian Wilson to come, but it was just scratching the surface at the time, like the first 2 or 3 Beatles albums compared to their later work.

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Mark

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jul 2006 1:53 pm

...not unless David was on Little Deuce Coupe, which come to think of it, preceded Shut Down Vol. II.

Doesn't change my take on which Beach Boys albums were the most significant!

Edit: It was Jardine on "Little Deuce Coupe."

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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 06 July 2006 at 03:05 PM.]

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 6 Jul 2006 4:45 pm

I'm a huge fan, and I have to agree the David Marks really was more of a bit player. And not much of a "player" at all (I think he has improved considerably over the years)...

I think the main reasons he got in the band were that they needed a replacement for Jardine FAST, and he fit into Al's Pendleton shirt.

He WAS only 14 after all, and looks pretty out-of-place in those old photos and album covers. And by his own admission, he may have been the most cocky member of the band with the least to offer in the way of talent, which led to his dismissal by Murry.

Al Jardine was definitely meant to be a Beach Boy. A solid guitarist and singer, whose vocals sounded more like Brian's than his brothers or cousin. There are a few songs where you honestly can't tell if it's Al or Brian singing lead (check out 'I Know There's An Answer' from PetSounds)...

Jack Francis · Post by **Jack Francis** » 6 Jul 2006 5:21 pm

I'm not here with anything to add about the "OLD" Beach Boys,,But my cousin gave me a CD called Al Jardine, Family and Friends, Live in Las Vegas...(His kids and the Wilson girls.)

GREAT harmonies on about 20 songs..IMHO..much better than the work being done by Love and his friends.

I was at a large casino at Lake Tahoe waiting for my wife to get off work and
Mike Love came in wearing a full length leather coat with his matching hat,,,
he STRUTTED from the front door to the elevators and stopped and looked kinda sad..walked back through all the folks back to the front door, turned around and tried it again, someone finally noticed him and his face lit up like a Christmas tree!

What a Jerk.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 6 Jul 2006 6:13 pm

That's the 'other' reason I didn't bother to see the show last night.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 6 Jul 2006 6:35 pm

I do consider the early records as being very important. They are the ones that put the Beach Boys on the map and gave them the footing for Wilson to blossom into the producer he became. Much of the artsy Pet Sounds and Smile is obscure to many,while Duece Coupe and Surfin' tunes are known to just about everbody.

I went to a July 4th party and Stephen Kalinich was there. He is a lyricist that has written with Dennis and Brian Wilson and knows the behind the scenes Beach Boys stuff. All the talk about David Marks was very positive in that he is just now being recognized for whatever contribution you want to say he had in the early part of the group. One thing that was kind of nice was that at the photo shoot, the photographers were assembling the Beach Boys for pictures and asked whoever that guy that was with them (David Marks) to please move out of the picture as they had no idea who he was. Brian Wilson and Mike Love spoke up and told them that Marks was a Beach Boy and they were to include him in the photo shoot. Pretty good on their part. There was talk there between Love and Wilson of doing something production wise but Kalinich says that there is so much to overcome in the fact that Wilson has his hangers on that try to keep him isoloated from the Love crowd who has his hangers on who try to keep him isolated from the Wilson crowd who tries to keep the Jardine crowd away--know what I mean. It's like the Beach Boys themselves might be up for doing something--as long as the lawyers and hangers on can work it out!!

Mike Winter · Post by **Mike Winter** » 6 Jul 2006 9:12 pm

http://www.davidleemarks.com/bio.html

From David Marks website:

"After playing on the Beach Boys first 4 albums, including some of their greatest hits such as Surfin’ Safari, Surfin’ USA, Surfer Girl, Catch a Wave, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, Shut Down and In My Room, at the age of 15, David walked away from the band at the height of their success. While his time in the band may have been short, the impact those early songs had on the legacy of the Beach Boys and the California sound is undeniable."

http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/60salbums.html

10/62 Capitol T1808 Surfin' Safari
3/63 Capitol T1890 Surfin' USA
9/63 Capitol T1981 Surfer Girl
10/63 Capitol T1998 Little Deuce Coupe

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

[This message was edited by Mike Winter on 06 July 2006 at 10:13 PM.]

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jul 2006 9:52 pm

OK, maybe I should give David Marks a little more credit than relegating him to the role of "bit player." That said, I would need to go and do some headphone time on those first four albums, to see if I can discern if he had a significant presence on any of the tracks.

Bill wrote:

" like four of the most important records they did!"

I never wrote that they were UNIMPORTANT. The first LP I ever bought in my life, went in halves with one of my older brothers, was "Surfer Girl." I have memories of playing it constantly "in my room."

Bill later wrote, and he won't get any argument from me:

"I do consider the early records as being very important. They are the ones that put the Beach Boys on the map and gave them the footing for Wilson to blossom into the producer he became. Much of the artsy Pet Sounds and Smile is obscure to many,while Duece Coupe and Surfin' tunes are known to just about everbody."

That paragraph was quite eloquently written.

But certainly not four of the most important records they did.

Surfin' Safari, for example, is a fun song, but in terms of musical achievement, it pails in comparison to say-California Girls, and hasn't been covered by so many artists like C.Girls. I won't even get into Good Vibrations.

Then there is one of the overlooked albums, except by serious fans-"Sunflower" from 1970. "Add Some Music To Your Day." Whoa...

And then a few years later, the Holland album with speaking of Al Jardine, "(On My Way To Sunny) California" and the Brian Wilson song, "Sail on Sailor" with South African Blondie Chaplin on lead vocals (who I saw singing backup for the Stones a few years ago).

I remember when "California" was released as a single, and the album wan't in the stores yet, I heard it on KSAN on a rainy day in the Bay Area drving around in my Chevy truck. I can remember being on the verge of tears. It was so beautiful (especially when you're a California boy). The Beach Boys were written off as being passe by people who were supposedly hip, but I knew that they still had some great music in them.

I have to credit Rolling Stone Magazine for going against the grain-I think they selected Holland as one of the 5 best albums the year it was released.

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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 07 July 2006 at 03:38 PM.]

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 7 Jul 2006 4:32 am

My copy of Pet Sounds was a double release with 'Carl and the Passions,' an LP that would have otherwise gotten little notice, but was a departure for the Boys, into the somewhat mystical.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 7 Jul 2006 5:53 am

My wife picked up a couple of boxes of LPs at a yard sale and brought them home to me the other day. The
"Holland" LP was in there sans the 45 that was originally included. Is it really correct that they flew all the recording gear to Holland to do that LP?

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 7 Jul 2006 6:44 am

'Sunflower' remains one of my all-time top-five favourite pop albums. 'Deidre', 'Tears In The Morning'... (and some steel guitar on 'Cottonfields', although this was recorded years earlier).

RR

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 7 Jul 2006 7:33 am

According to the Timothy White biography of the Beach Boys, "The Nearest Faraway Place," a bunch of equipment from Brian's home studio was flown to Holland, where they converted a barn into a studio. There is a quote from a Warners Bros. press release estimating it to be "some half a million dollars settling and arranging for nearly four tons of flying studio."

The gist of it was that Warners wasn't very happy with these indulgences. I think they were wondering why couldn't they come up with more "I Get Around" sure bets and just record them in Los Angeles.

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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 07 July 2006 at 08:34 AM.]

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 7 Jul 2006 12:19 pm

In further regards to David Marks I forgot to mention a book that is coming out by John Stebbins called "David Marks-The Lost Beach Boy". My friend had dinner with Stebbins on a recent trip to LA and Stebbins showed him the book before it was printed. There is a lot of great new information on the formation of the Beach Boys and on the role that Marks played in the band and on his life after the Beach Boys and up until today.

The authors' purpose was to get the story of Marks out there to a lot of Beach Boy fans who know very little about him. Might make for some interesting reading for BB fans.