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Post by Kapitan on Apr 29, 2022 19:56:03 GMT
Maybe it's overkill, but I can imagine as things heat up with the different elements of the anniversary, it may be nice to have some dedicated threads for the products/events. But, the lack of anything from TWGMTR makes me wonder if 2012 might be glossed over in the forthcoming doc. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. And my first thought about that was, "nah, it was a big success and they have a ton of footage they can use." But then I started thinking they'd also probably have to discuss how it came to an end, which was obviously quite publicly bitter. Are they willing to be interviewed on camera now about how that all went down? Doesn't exactly make them look good to say "but then, when our next big publicity opportunity came up with the 60th, we buried the hatchet (for the 500th time)!"
And that got me thinking of how really the past few decades are going to be interesting, if they're covered. With Endless Harmony, they went out on a high note, even if it was a false one: they were working together with Stars & Stripes and then Brian had Imagination coming, but if I recall, the doc didn't really imply the band was done.
To try to tell the story since then, it's almost entirely a story of two (or three) different bands at a time, each touring separately. New music was almost exclusively coming from Brian; Mike and Bruce obviously mostly just toured, though Mike had his more recent solo albums; and Al has been here, there, and everywhere. David has mostly been on the outside that whole time. Will the more recent stories of the members of the Beach Boys be weaved into this? Or will we go from roughly Carl's death to the 60th anniversary with 30 seconds of footage and a few sentences about Brian's triumph in resurrecting Smile and the band's great success as a live act, and nothing else?
My assumption is that most of this will be rehashing the origin story and peak eras, skimming through most things from Brian's Back onward to the present. But we'll see.
Anyway, if you have predictions, a wish list, any news about it, or whatever else, this is a thread for discussion on the upcoming Beach Boys documentary that's apparently in the works.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 22:57:26 GMT
If you're sitting there with the whole band you have to ask them what happened: why didn't you stay together the last 10 years; why were there separate groups ;why was there an email that said no more shows for Wilson; why was there fighting over vocal parts and why did the wives not get along,..... and why did you both have to write op-eds in the LA Times, and why did Brian feel like he and the rest of the band were being fired, and why didn't Mike sit down with Brian and figure out what to do, and why didn't they keep writing music and come up with another album, and why did they rely on somo old joe thomas songs from 10 years ago in the album, and why didn't they release ways of love; and what's Brian's favorite pizza.
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Post by kds on Apr 30, 2022 0:54:59 GMT
I can imagine the doc after Carl's passing, saying something like
"As the 21st century dawned, fans still wanted to hear that great music."
Then, a brief overview of the touring bands, Brian taking Pet Sounds on the road and resurrecting Smile, etc.
Maybe some footage from the C50 tour, while we hear the band talk about "they just love those Good Vibrations" with no context.
Fuck, I hope I'm wrong.
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Post by lonelysummer on Apr 30, 2022 2:31:11 GMT
If all the guys are involved, they're not going to get into the dirt of how C50 ended. They'll want to put on the happy faces now that we are in the midst of the C60 celebration. Personally, I always preferred C90's.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 30, 2022 2:40:45 GMT
To kds, I think what you mentioned - and dread - is exactly what we'll get.
To lonelysummer, I agree that this documentary will not be airing dirty laundry, though I could be wrong. If this would be a longer, multi-part documentary like we want and the band deserves, then, yes, they could explore the career more in depth...warts and all. But, like you said - and like I'm starting to say - this whole thing is turning into a celebration and tribute (not that there's anything wrong with that ).
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Post by lonelysummer on Apr 30, 2022 7:15:55 GMT
To kds, I think what you mentioned - and dread - is exactly what we'll get.
To lonelysummer, I agree that this documentary will not be airing dirty laundry, though I could be wrong. If this would be a longer, multi-part documentary like we want and the band deserves, then, yes, they could explore the career more in depth...warts and all. But, like you said - and like I'm starting to say - this whole thing is turning into a celebration and tribute (not that there's anything wrong with that ). I expect the typical documentary - mostly talking about The Genius Brian Wilson guiding them up through Pet Sounds, Good Vibrations, then losing his way during Smile; a brief overview of the Brian-less Beach Boys from 1967-1973; a mention of Endless Summer and their revival as primarily an oldies attraction; mention of Brian's mental health issues and Dennis' decline; and the continued popularity of America's Band. I certainly hope for more than that, but keeping my expectations in check.
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Post by kds on Apr 30, 2022 12:11:05 GMT
To kds, I think what you mentioned - and dread - is exactly what we'll get.
To lonelysummer, I agree that this documentary will not be airing dirty laundry, though I could be wrong. If this would be a longer, multi-part documentary like we want and the band deserves, then, yes, they could explore the career more in depth...warts and all. But, like you said - and like I'm starting to say - this whole thing is turning into a celebration and tribute (not that there's anything wrong with that ). I will say that if the doc gives a more in depth look at the band's history in the late 60s, 70s, and 80s, I'll be happy, even if the last 30 years are glossed over.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 30, 2022 12:14:00 GMT
To kds, I think what you mentioned - and dread - is exactly what we'll get.
To lonelysummer, I agree that this documentary will not be airing dirty laundry, though I could be wrong. If this would be a longer, multi-part documentary like we want and the band deserves, then, yes, they could explore the career more in depth...warts and all. But, like you said - and like I'm starting to say - this whole thing is turning into a celebration and tribute (not that there's anything wrong with that ). I will say that if the doc gives a more in depth look at the band's history in the late 60s, 70s, and 80s, I'll be happy, even if the last 30 years are glossed over. I agree with this. It isn't the ideal situation, but it's probably the best we can realistically hope for, knowing they aren't going to focus on that ugly period of solo careers, comings and goings of members, false start reunions, etc. And we know that post- Smile material is far more widely recognized now, too, considering the reception of the archival releases. (especially Sunshine Tomorrow and Feel Flows).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2022 15:35:24 GMT
Maybe this documentary will contain a live performance as it were from the entire band. Many-documentaries contain that kind of reunion. That way you can be staged and recorded and rehearsed and controlled and produced more than the spontaneity of a tour.
Also it will be good to have something after long-promised road which failed so miserably because it try to isolate itself as a form of a hagiography and hero-worship and became really tedious and uninformed really quickly. So true story of all the boys together and however a complex Dynamic they're able to reveal.
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Post by kds on May 1, 2022 0:40:11 GMT
I will say that if the doc gives a more in depth look at the band's history in the late 60s, 70s, and 80s, I'll be happy, even if the last 30 years are glossed over. I agree with this. It isn't the ideal situation, but it's probably the best we can realistically hope for, knowing they aren't going to focus on that ugly period of solo careers, comings and goings of members, false start reunions, etc. And we know that post- Smile material is far more widely recognized now, too, considering the reception of the archival releases. (especially Sunshine Tomorrow and Feel Flows). That was my big disappointment with the otherwise enjoyable EH doc, they breezed through that Post Smile period so fast. But, you're right, that period seems to have more of a following now than in the late 90s.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2022 17:46:01 GMT
I'm sure many of us would agree that yet another retelling of the Beach Boys' formation and rise is the least interesting prospect for this upcoming doc.
Conversely, what typically ignored or under-reported singular issue, moment, theme, period, album, etc., would you most hope it covers fully? (Not to say you expect it, but hope for it.)
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Post by kds on May 2, 2022 17:56:53 GMT
I'm sure many of us would agree that yet another retelling of the Beach Boys' formation and rise is the least interesting prospect for this upcoming doc.
Conversely, what typically ignored or under-reported singular issue, moment, theme, period, album, etc., would you most hope it covers fully? (Not to say you expect it, but hope for it.)
For me, the most obvious is the 1967-73 period from the non release of Smile to Holland, in particular the Friends album, and the Blondie / Ricky years. Also, I feel like the 80s is a somewhat murky part of the band's history. The usual talking points are Dennis's death, the big DC shows, and Kokomo. I'd love to hear more about the band dynamic from that era.
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Post by lonelysummer on May 2, 2022 19:38:29 GMT
I'm sure many of us would agree that yet another retelling of the Beach Boys' formation and rise is the least interesting prospect for this upcoming doc.
Conversely, what typically ignored or under-reported singular issue, moment, theme, period, album, etc., would you most hope it covers fully? (Not to say you expect it, but hope for it.)
For me, the most obvious is the 1967-73 period from the non release of Smile to Holland, in particular the Friends album, and the Blondie / Ricky years. Also, I feel like the 80s is a somewhat murky part of the band's history. The usual talking points are Dennis's death, the big DC shows, and Kokomo. I'd love to hear more about the band dynamic from that era. The late 60's got some coverage in An American Band, but with the storyline "we had to move ahead without Brian", which we now know is not true. The early 70's was just skimmed over. I'd like to hear more about the 80's, too - that's my era, when I was seeing the band live every year, buying the records as they came out.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2022 19:43:43 GMT
It's been quite a while since I watched any of them, but I know Endless Harmony did give a little coverage to that late 60s/early 70s stuff. But I don't think it was very complete. I'd love to see a lot more.
The 80s, I honestly don't care about the music much at all ... but I sure would like to hear more about those years anyway. The apparent uncertainty of how to carry on even before Dennis's death (including Carl's time away), with a pretty damn long break from releasing a new (studio) album by their standards; and then of course the Levine-produced album with Brian in the fold changing shortly to Brian more or less absent again.
Honestly I'd even like to hear as much as possible about the late 80s and into the 90s, the Love-led band whose material I pretty much hate. I'd still like to hear more about those years from people in the know (other than just Mike and Bruce).
Really, the relatively inactive decades (from a new music perspective, as obviously they were very active touring) could be very interesting if approached with a journalistic spirit rather than a P.R. hagiography. Obviously I'm expecting the latter, though, as is typical in authorized docs.
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Post by kds on May 3, 2022 12:24:18 GMT
It's been quite a while since I watched any of them, but I know Endless Harmony did give a little coverage to that late 60s/early 70s stuff. But I don't think it was very complete. I'd love to see a lot more.
The 80s, I honestly don't care about the music much at all ... but I sure would like to hear more about those years anyway. The apparent uncertainty of how to carry on even before Dennis's death (including Carl's time away), with a pretty damn long break from releasing a new (studio) album by their standards; and then of course the Levine-produced album with Brian in the fold changing shortly to Brian more or less absent again.
Honestly I'd even like to hear as much as possible about the late 80s and into the 90s, the Love-led band whose material I pretty much hate. I'd still like to hear more about those years from people in the know (other than just Mike and Bruce).
Really, the relatively inactive decades (from a new music perspective, as obviously they were very active touring) could be very interesting if approached with a journalistic spirit rather than a P.R. hagiography. Obviously I'm expecting the latter, though, as is typical in authorized docs.
The late 90s is an interesting time to me. It had been a few years since Kokomo, Brian was out of the fold, then SIP. Now, realistically, I'll be surprised if SIP even gets a mention.
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