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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 12:47:20 GMT
In the NPP revisitation yesterday, we briefly got into a sidetrack of whether Brian--now five years after his last studio album--might have already released his final studio album.
I thought I'd pull that thought out and focus on it a bit with its own thread.
On one hand, at nearly 78 years old and with a long career behind him, the guy is almost old enough to run for president. I mean, to retire. Between his own comments about seemingly regular and lengthy bouts with writer's block, his seriously deteriorated voice, his disconnect with modern music, his lack of sales, his seeming exhaustion and boredom ... maybe he's just not interested. Maybe he's done.
On the other, until the pandemic, he was still touring, which has to be more tiring than studio work. The ability to pick and choose one's own hours on the spot (more or less) rather than adhering to a lengthy, predetermined schedule that includes travel and hours' worth of public appearances almost daily? The guy who was always known for his studio brilliance (and live performance avoidance) could theoretically putter around in his own little heaven for the rest of his days ... if he wanted to.
I added some options in the poll. I'm curious to think what you all believe is most likely to happen, what you hope will happen, why the rest of us are mistaken, and so on.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 9, 2020 14:04:04 GMT
I picked "nothing else coming" but more accurately I think it's something in between that one and putting out the odd digital single. I actually don't expect any more of that from him, but he's done a few guest appearances on other artist's songs lately (that one by Janelle Monae from... last year?? is coming to my mind, but I think there was another more recent one). Anyway, it seems likely that he might continue to do those types of guest appearances, which basically amounts to him being barely audible if at all, while lending his name to the "featuring" credits.
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Post by kds on Apr 9, 2020 14:08:37 GMT
I don't forsee Brian doing anything new in the future. From all accounts, the well of songs seems to have run dry. There's that much talked about "Rock and Roll Album," but that seems more unlikely each year.
Brian('s people) seem to be fairly content with Brian's status as a nostalgia touring act.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 14:26:04 GMT
he's done a few guest appearances on other artist's songs lately (that one by Janelle Monae from... last year?? is coming to my mind, but I think there was another more recent one). Yes, there was the late 2019 single from Kesha (sorry, Ke$ha...because the world is garbage), "Resentment," featuring him and Sturgill Simpson. Simpson was prominent. Wilson was ... reportedly present.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 14:28:26 GMT
For the record, I also voted that it's over. I do think there will be a few guest spots and even occasionally full songs (probably mostly covers for tribute albums), but I think they'll be sufficiently few and far between that it's fair to say there's nothing else coming.
For what it's worth, I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see at least the occasional new, original song. But we'll see. My fingers are not even crossed.
But that said, open the goddamn vaults.
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Post by jk on Apr 9, 2020 14:32:54 GMT
I voted for "We'll still see the occasional song for digital singles, tributes, etc." Other than that, my lips are most diplomatically sealed.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 14:55:06 GMT
Other than that, my lips are most diplomatically sealed. BOOOO!
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 15:35:05 GMT
One thing that occurred to me this morning as a project I'd really like to see is based on an album--the only one of its kind that I can recall--from 2004, Daniel Johnston Discovered Covered.
That album consisted of two discs: one of then-current (mostly) indie (and indie-ish major label) artists like Teenage Fanclub, Eels, Beck, Mercury Rev, Bright Eyes, Death Cab For Cutie, M Ward, Vic Chestnutt, Tom Waits, and others covering Johnston's songs; the second disc contained Johnston's original recordings (or at least Johnston's recordings..."original" is hard to define for someone who used to just re-record the songs every time onto new cassettes rather than dub the original master...) of those same songs.
To me, that concept could work brilliantly for Wilson's unreleased music. You could combine the best selections from the "bedroom tapes," various Landy songwriting session demos, cocaine tapes, Sweet Insanity, the Paley stuff, and have either other artists or--my personal, strong preference--Wilson's primary band members over the past 20 years do new renditions of those songs. Think Darian Sahanaja's "Do You Have Any Regrets?" and "I Wanna Pick You Up" as examples. (Sahanaja would actually be my choice for the primary producer for the project.)
The whole thing could be done with Wilson overseeing the project (if/as much as he wanted), picking songs, maybe even commenting on arrangements or production ... or not. But I, for one, would love to hear Darian, Matt, maybe Al here and there singing leads on arrangements and productions handled by Sahanaja (inspired and informed by Wilson).
Of course, if you went the "other artists" route, presumably they'd take more of a role in those arrangements and such. That approach could also make it more popular (depending on who participated), but it would feel like less a Wilson camp release at that point.
Anyway, that's what I would like to see. A 2-disc (or more) set with each song represented twice, once in its demo or unreleased form and once redone properly.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 9, 2020 15:47:16 GMT
For the record, I also voted that it's over. I do think there will be a few guest spots and even occasionally full songs (probably mostly covers for tribute albums), but I think they'll be sufficiently few and far between that it's fair to say there's nothing else coming.
For what it's worth, I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see at least the occasional new, original song. But we'll see. My fingers are not even crossed.
Now, I'm confused again. You voted for Nothing Else Coming, but you think We'll Still See The Occasional Song?
When I first saw the thread title, I thought you were inquiring if public libraries were closed because of COVID-19, and I wondered why you had to start a new thread just to ask that question. Oh, and I'm flattered to be referenced in one of the options. It's just nice to be...mentioned!
Anywho, first there's hope and then there's reality. I hope there is a new Beach Boys' album. While most of the negativity and controversy surrounding the end of C50 will fade away over time, I would still like to see the guys go out on a happy, positive note. Much like That's Why God Made The Radio, I truly believe Joe Thomas could assemble the same cast and crew, and in a few month's time, come up with a pretty good album. That would require two essential elements. It would require, again, revisiting the tapes that Brian and Joe recorded years ago and extracting whatever quality material is left, if any. Maybe there's other material to consider, too, like some of the Paley Sessions' songs.
The next requirement is "hooking Brian up" with a collaborator, or the right collaborator, emphasis on right. Now, I've never been a fan of Brian's heavy use of collaborators, especially when the end result was a song that sounded more like the collaborator's and less like Brian's. However, we're in that phase in Brian's career and life (and have been for awhile) where a collaborator isn't just a convenient benefactor, but a necessity, a necessity if you want a quality, professional product. There's a line in Bob Dylan's song, "Things Have Changed" - "I used to care, but things have changed". That's how I feel about Brian's collaborators. It used to really bother me, and still does to an extent, how much Brian relied on collaborators in the songwriting/recording process, or so I thought (speculation of course). Not only did I feel he relied on them too much, but I also questioned who he (or whoever) chose. Certainly there had to be better ones out there. Now, today, 2020, I would just welcome any new music from Brian, or more specifically, Brian and The Beach Boys.
Despite my welcoming or wishing, I don't think we will get that final Beach Boys' album. I think it could happen. Like I've mentioned before, I believe in the chance meeting, the chance moment, the simple phone call, the extending of the olive branch - and the damn Manager doing something to earn his salary! Maybe Al could invite the guys to his barn studio to hang out, reminisce, strum guitars and sing a couple of old tunes. Maybe Mike (or Brian) could pick up the phone to see how each other's family is getting through the pandemic. Maybe there could be a group intervention arranged by people like Jeff Foskett or Darian Sahanaja or Billy Hinsche. Maybe a record company could throw a boatload of cash on the table in exchange for a dozen songs and twenty-five dates. And, in the most unlikely scenario, maybe Mike and Melinda could sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation, work out their differences, share a hug, and agree to...something. Do I think any of those scenarios will happen? Probably not, but there's always hope. I truly believe things happen that way, in ways that you never expect, again with somebody coming forward and saying, "Hello, I've been thinking about you, would you like to get together?" And we all know that anything can happen with The Beach Boys, and I mean anything.
As far as more solo recordings from Brian, I think No Pier Pressure will probably be Brian's last solo album, unless he gets motivated to do another covers album of some kind. Other than a rock & roll album, I have no idea what kind of covers' concept album he would do. A Spector tribute album? I'd like to hear that, but Phil Spector isn't the best place to go these days. Is Brian motivated to do...anything? I guess I'll vote for the occasional song for whatever - and that means one or two recordings. Somebody will come along with a concept/compilation album project, somebody who is a fan of Brian Wilson, and they will ask Brian to contribute something. Brian could dig something out the vaults that fits the project, or he could come up with something new; a collaborator could write the lyrics. Who knows, as I'm posting this, Mike could be on the phone with Brian, planning away!
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 15:51:34 GMT
Now, I'm confused again. You voted for Nothing Else Coming, but you think We'll Still See The Occasional Song? Yeah, I admit it's not very clear! I think any new product will be so minimal, so rare, and not original, that it's close enough to "nothing else coming." Maybe halfway between those two options.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Apr 10, 2020 1:18:21 GMT
I think he has another album in him, but only under very specific circumstances that might motivate him (like a reunion). I'm sure there's some more new songs lurking out there, and one or two may finished already and just waiting to be released along with his documentary.
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Post by lonelysummer on Apr 10, 2020 4:30:30 GMT
I think Brian is done. If we can rid the world of covid-19, he may resume touring, but recording? All the general public wants from an old guy like Brian is to hear the 60's hits live. In fact, i'll go one step further - all the casual fans really want is to be in the same room with the man, to bask in the glow of a genius. All he has to do is sit there behind his piano, while the musicians around him do the work. How many times have we heard that "Brian is back"? 1976, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1998....unless he is a cat, I don't believe he has 4 more lives left in him.
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Post by kds on Apr 10, 2020 12:33:22 GMT
I've mentioned this on other boards before, but if there's any person who can revive Brian's studio career and get some good later era albums out of him, it's Rick Rubin.
The best parallel I could make is Rubin's resurrection of Johnny Cash's career in the last decade of Cash's life.
The one caveat, and why it probably won't happen, is that Rubin would be producer, and I can't see Team Brian allowing a Brian Wilson album to be released without the "Produced by Brian Wilson" credit.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 10, 2020 12:37:30 GMT
I get your point but am not sure about that. I could see a co-production credit, a la the Joe Thomas credits. Or even splitting it up like executive producer, session producer, vocal producer, or some such things.
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Post by kds on Apr 10, 2020 13:13:27 GMT
I get your point but am not sure about that. I could see a co-production credit, a la the Joe Thomas credits. Or even splitting it up like executive producer, session producer, vocal producer, or some such things. That's possible. I think it all depends on how much Team Brian really wants a relevant new Wilson album. Because, you know if such an album happened, the headlines would be "Rick Rubin works his magic on new Brian Wilson album, his best in years" yada yada yada.
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