Uncanny

LA TIMES "'I love her vocal,' the Beach Boys' creative mastermind said Monday through his manager. 'She sounds very clear and energetic .... The melody is infectious, and I'm flattered that Snoop Dogg used our lyric on the tag,' Wilson noted. 'I wish them well with this cut.'"

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BROWARD/PALM BEACH NEW TIMES "Once onstage, Dennis Wilson began acting erratically. Only an adequate drummer at best, he issued a blunt confession during the middle of 'Help Me Rhonda' when he suddenly grabbed an overhead mic and abruptly announced 'I'm a shitty drummer!' There wasn't even time for onlookers to gasp in agreement before he scooted out from behind his kit and clumsily attempted to situate himself on top of his brother Brian's piano. Stepping on the keyboard as Brian tried to soldier on, his foot struck a bum note that naturally impeded the performance before he successfully scaled the piano entirely. Once there, he began swaying precariously, not unlike a drunken sailor hoping to keep his balance during a fierce gale. The stage crew desperately ran out on stage and surrounded him, pleading with Dennis to alight before he had a chance to hurt himself. At first, he stubbornly refused, but eventually he was coaxed down, much to the roadies' relief and the audience's amusement."

THE GUARDIAN "Occasionally, the florid melodies combine with a hint of waywardness in [Van Dyke] Parks' vocals to leave you feeling as confused as Beach Boys' vocalist Mike Love apparently was by Parks' contributions to Smile. More often, as his between-song monologues ramble in the same serpentine fashion as his songs, you're reminded that you are in the presence of an utterly unique figure."

LA TIMES "In 1987 the Fat Boys remade the Surfaris' 'Wipe Out' song and they had the Beach Boys singing the background vocals. This is one of the most bizarre pairings in hip-hop history and it hardly ever gets talked about. In fact, I just had to revisit the video on YouTube to make sure this song actually existed and it wasn't a figment of my imagination. There it is...in all its amazingness. Not as amazing as Brian Wilson's short stint as a rapper (which lasted for at least one bizarre non-ironic song as far as I know) but it is peculiar, comical and catchy."

PHOENIX NEW TIMES "So, sure, sometimes he plays a show so shoddy fans demand their money back on his message board. Luckily, this wasn't such a disaster. Brian and his band were good but not great, belting out the hits one after another and goading the mostly middle-aged crowd into standing on only a few occasions."

PHOENIX NEW TIMES "I submit to you that the Beach Boys album preceding Pet Sounds is also a true masterpiece, deserving of enshrinement in the National Recording Registry alongside it's more famous sibling. That record, Beach Boys Party!, is something of an obscurity. Chances are you haven't heard it. Actually, I hadn't even heard it until three years ago, and I'm the music critic making a case for Wilson's sainthood here. Now, though, I tell every Pet Sounds fanboy I know to get a copy. Because while Beach Boys Party! is maybe not equal to Pet Sounds, its certainly the second-best Beach Boys record ever made (sorry, Smile) and is undeniably unique, with a certain magical quality all its own."

PHOENIX NEW TIMES blog has a description of the interview with Brian Wilson
EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE published the interview

Q: What can fans in Phoenix expect from your show?
A: You are going to hear some Beach Boys classics along with some Brian Wilson solo favorites.
Q: What have you been working on in the studio?
A: I've been putting the final touches on my Gershwin album. I did interpretations of some of my favorite songs, and then I actually was able to finish two fragments of unfinished music from the estate. Very exciting. I think the album is going to be released later this year. We will do some (live) shows for it as well.
Q: You have a new daughter, Dakota Rose (born in January). What's she doing lately that's new or irresistibly cute?
A: She has curly hair; she is very cute and very sweet. I love her voice and coos.
Q: Do your children introduce you to new music, or is it the other way around?
A: They introduce me to the music on the radio, which I'm not thrilled with, but they like it.
Q: What are your favorite bands or artists making music today, or of all time?
A: I love The Beatles, (The Rolling) Stones and the Bee Gees.
Q: So many successful musicians still credit you with influencing them. Is there anyone making music out there today who influences or inspires you?
A: No, only the older albums inspire me. Not so much the new stuff. (Phil) Spector, Chuck Berry, The Beatles.
Q: After all this time, what still moves you to write a song? What emotions or experiences make you say, "I have to capture this with music"?
A: The love I feel makes me want to write a song. That inspires me the most.
Q: You've had a remarkable career, and you accomplished so much so early in life. What's left that you still want to do, as a musician or an artist?
A: I want to cut a nice rock-and-roll album.
Q: Going outside of the realm of music and performing and recording, what's on your bucket list?
A: Nothing off hand. Oh, how about meeting Frankie Avalon?

NY TIMES "Smart Girls, Brian Wilson. Advanced Artists worship rock ‘n’ roll, but they also embrace new styles of music. While many older rockers were dismissive of hip hop, Wilson was inspired by it. The result of this inspiration is one of the strangest — and definitely the most Advanced — rap songs of all time. “Smart Girls” features Wilson rapping about how much he appreciates intelligent women (“strokin’ me with hypotheses”), while samples of his earlier music are used to show that it was not always so. Truly not to be missed."

SPINNER '"I was a huge fan of Brian's ability to write songs,' [John] Fogerty says. 'So, at some point, long before I made it with my band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, we were knocking on the door at Fantasy Records. We'd made some kind of tape with a couple of songs on it ... we were trying to make these little garage-sounding records. Finally, one of the executives for the record company comes out; he's 40-something years old and I'm teen-something years old. He says, 'Well, you know, no one really knows what a hit record is.' And I shot right back and looked him in the eye and said, 'Brian Wilson knows what a hit record is.'"

LA WEEKLY "You might know bandleader Don Costa as the urbane arranger behind some of Frank Sinatra's most iconic tunes, the Chairman's go-to man in the 1960s for chart-topping orchestrations. You might also know him (though we doubt it) as the man who signed Little Anthony and the Imperials and Trini Lopez to his DCP International label. But we're pretty sure very few people, outside of enterprising, hardened thriftstore crate-diggers, know he's responsible for one of the strangest interpretations of Brian Wilson's psychedelic oeuvre ever pressed onto plastic. Let's go on a trip."

Here's the belated conclusion of the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson Promo CD Extravaganza. Instead of one promo per post, this time you get three. It's been quite awhile since the last installment of the extravaganza. My interest in the Beach Boys waxes and wanes, and lately it's been on the wane. Nevertheless, I wanted to finish the extravaganza. So, here are the last three promos I wanted to showcase.

1. Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE

This is my prized possession of the bunch. CD-R advance US promo of "Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE." It came in a clear, slim-line jewel case. The front cover is a simple white card with basic black text printed on one side. The disc also has simple black text printing. The first scan is the front cover and the second is the top of the disc.

I was able to score an advance copy because I was writing a review of BWPS. I was elated to get my copy a few months in advance of the street date. I had been a fan of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since late 1999 and my most favorite jewel in Brian Wilson's crown was the '60s version of SMiLE. I was anxious to hear if Brian could pull it all together in the '00s. I thought he and his compatriots did a masterful job. While nothing could supplant the original tracks (unfinished though they may be) BWPS stood up very well in comparison.

My initial interest in Brian Wilson's music stems from my curiosity about the '66/'67 SMiLE tapes. Until late 1999, I was not a fan of the Beach Boys. In fact, I detested them. From '94 until '99 the only music I listened to was avant garde jazz, experimental, Japanese noise, etc. The BBs were way too lightweight for my tastes at the time. The change in my attitude toward the BBs came from reading a passage in a book by David Toop called "Ocean of Sound". In the book, Toop compares some of the unreleased SMiLE tapes to free/avant-garde jazz. Since I was so into free jazz at the time, I was befuddled to see Brian Wilson's music compared to such outsider music. I just assumed Brian was a square. But Toop planted a seed in my head. Later, in 1999, I was looking through a record store in Lawrence, Kansas and came across a SMiLE bootleg called "Heroes and Vibrations". It was cheap, about $10, so I bought it. I was blown away by the music. (Actually, since it combines different versions of "Heroes and Villains" with different versions of "Good Vibrations," it's only half a SMiLE bootleg). After listening to this bootleg a few times, I was hooked. I had to hear everything else Brian recorded and I spent '99 until '08 gathering as much of his music I could. Lately, my musical interests have turned else where.

2. Beautiful Dreamer CD

This is a "silver" audio CD promo. As I recall, this was available as a limited edition (2,500) bonus if you pre-ordered the "Beautiful Dreamer" DVD directly from LSL Productions. The CD consists of three audio tracks: "Surf's Up Instrumental Version," a conversation with Brian Wilson and an interview with David Leaf. The first scan is of the front cover, a simple card with color printing on top and the edition # on the back. The second scan is of the back of the card. It has David Leaf's signature and it's #340 of 2,500. The third scan is the top of the CD. There's a printed tray card too, but I can't find that scan right now. I frist blogged about this disc at UNCANNY MARK 1.

3. Imagination- Words and Music (color version)

I already discussed the black & white version of this promo here. Now, we have the color version. The contents of this "silver" CD are the same as the black & white version, but the packaging is a little slicker; it mimics the packaging of the "Imagination" album itself. I bought this one at a used record store in Overland Park, Kansas. It was signed when I bought it. The store didn't know anything about the provenance of the signature. The signature looks like other Brian Wilson signatures I've seen. I assume it's authentic. The first scan shows the simple card cover, printed on one side, with Brian Wilson's signature. The second scan shows the top of the disc and the last scan shows the tray card.

SF Gate "I don't have the professional equipment. I maybe should have a manager or something like that. To be in show business, I hear you have to have a manager. So I'm not a professional in a way. Nor has it been my priority because, to me, applause is vapid. I'm so inured to the insult, but never to what it can mean. I've learned so much from the criticism I've gotten. My favorite is from back in 1968, some cute little reporter called me the Edsel of pop music. Isn't that great? Applause to me is like that - it's no real litmus as to what you're doing. Sometimes it doesn't even leave a paper trail. It's gone. It evaporates. That never had allure to me."

LA TIMES "In a surprise union of two quintessentially American composers from different eras, one the 1960s mastermind of 'Good Vibrations,' the other the Jazz Age creator of 'Rhapsody in Blue,' former Beach Boy Brian Wilson has been authorized by the estate of George Gershwin to complete unfinished songs Gershwin left behind when he died in 1937."

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READY FOR THE HOUSE blog has a few more pictures for you to peruse as your lesiure.