Uncanny

BROOKLYN VEGAN

OC REGISTER "The initial POP SURF CULTURE explosion of the late '50s and '60s came from this initial pure thing that was beautiful because we landed on it, and then it was broadcast, and it was an original idea as a whole. And people went, 'Wow, this is something.'" --Dominic Priore

ROLLING STONE has a short review of "Barefoot Adventure: The 4 Star Sessions 1962-1966" an enjoyable compilation of music by Gary Usher. Most of the tunes on this compilation, released by Sundazed Records, are in the surf or hot-rod vein. As many Beach Boys fans know, Usher collaborated with Brian Wilson to write some of the Beach Boys' most memorable tunes, including "In My Room." Two songs on "Barefoot Adventure" feature the drumming of Dennis Wilson.

Another Usher project recently re-issued by Sundazed records is "The Blue Marble", an album recorded in 1969 by the Sagittarius studio group. Sagittarius' first album, "Present Tense" came out on Columbia in 1967 and was a collaborative affair. Usher worked in conjunction with artists such as Curt Boettcher, Bruce Johnston, Glen Campbell and the Firesign Theatre.

Although "The Blue Marble," originally released on Together Records, features some great singing, writing and producing by Boettcher, it was much closer to an Usher solo album than the first Sagittarius album. Usher wrote, sang and produced most of the 10 tracks himself. There's more of an introspective, personal, metaphysical, spiritual vibe to "The Blue Marble" than on Sagittarius' first album. Also, "The Blue Marble" features the Moog synthesizer on several tracks, giving the whole affair a fairly trippy vibe. Usher is quoted in the liner notes as saying that he was experiencing LSD flashbacks during the time the album was recorded.

Beach Boys fans should note that the opening track on "The Blue Marble" is a version of "In My Room," which was co-produced by Usher, Boettcher and Keith Olsen; Usher and Boettcher also share lead vocal duties. If you enjoy grandiose baroque-pop with strong pop/harmony vocals, you should definitely check out Sagittarius.

CROSS TOWN RIVAL "Holy crap I got to interview Brian Wilson. BRIAN WILSON! The article that came from this interview appeared in the November 13, 2008 edition of The Free Lance Star."

J&R BLOG

STEREOGUM "Brian is clearly no longer one of the greatest singers of all time, which is sadly apparent following his performance of 'Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl' when he and his Wondermints dig into 'California Girls.'"

I'd have to agree that Brian's recent performance on Conan was not one of his best. Watch for yourself at HULU.

THE BOSTON GLOBE "The Brian Wilson diehards were abuzz during intermission. They couldn't believe how great the former Beach Boys mastermind sounded and acted during his first set."

LONG ISLAND PRESS conducts a typically brief interview with Brian Wilson.

POP MATTERS "In its ignorance of album tracks, and its one-label-only approach, 'Liberty Singles' suffers from not being comprehensive, shortchanging the band’s earlier and later periods. The liner notes make a case for Jan & Dean that the music cannot, touting them as innovators and groundbreakers rather than just a solid, good-humored vocal group. Ed Osborne’s suggestion that 'Anaheim, Asuza & Cucamonga' helped raise the bar for Pet Sounds is preposterous, as 'Anaheim' is a chaotic mess. For all his ambitions, Jan Berry could never turn himself into Brian Wilson, let alone Phil Spector. Truth be told, Jan & Dean never amounted to much more than three-trick ponies."

WASHINGTON POST "At his creative peak, Beach Boys auteur Brian Wilson retired from touring to concentrate on composition and production. Fighting back from a late-'60s nervous breakdown, Wilson returned to touring in 1999. Yet at concerts like the one he played Tuesday at the Warner Theatre, Wilson seems hardly there."

DEATH was a proto-punk band from Detroit who recorded an album's worth of material in 1974. They self-released one single in 1976. Death consisted of three African-American brothers from Detroit. They later went on to do Christian psych music as The Fourth Movement, and two of the brothers are now in a reggae band in Vermont. Check out two amazing MP3s.

Drag City is releasing Death's unreleased album ...FOR THE WORLD TO SEE on February 19, 2009.

Read more about Death here: LIVEWIRE RECORDS and here: DETROIT FREE PRESS.

POP MATTERS "Victimized by parental abuse, drug abuse, depression and misguided therapies (he has schizoaffective disorder), the 66-year-old Californian resurfaced this year with those new songs on 'That Lucky Old Sun,' a love letter to Los Angeles."

BOSTON MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND
PRAY FOR SURF
LA BLOGA MAGNIFICA

CITY PAGES "Whatever small part Wilson himself had in it, the night’s music was gloriously exact, and it was the impeccability of his compositions that were the real guests of honor. Behind him, Wilson’s band executed his impossibly elaborate harmonies and arrangements without missing a note."