Last Night's Beach Boys Rockumentary

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I didn't think I was going to get anyhting new from this, but I was pleasantly surprised. Quite a bit of live/stroke/TV performace footage, albeit cruelly curtailed. Some interesting interviews and a (for me) shocking revelation that there is an 'easy-play' theremin. But most surprising of all was the quantity of Monkees-style high-jinks and speeded up camera footage (being chased down the street by a fire engine, etc). I had never heard anything about this particular approach to the problem of fading hipsterdom.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 10 January 2005 10:35 (twenty years ago)

it was a good programme. some of the footage was terrifying - al jardine popping out from behind a tree and turning into a demon, those 80s concerts, etc.

― pete b. (pete b.), Monday, 10 January 2005 11:05 (twenty years ago)

"al jardine popping out from behind a tree and turning into a demon"

That's from the Fat Boys/Beach Boys video?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 10 January 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

no it was part of a sequence of 'bad trip' visuals that they used to illustrate the story of brian's descent into paranoia, i've no idea where it came from

― pete b. (pete b.), Monday, 10 January 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

"al jardine popping out from behind a tree and turning into a demon"
It's from the Pet Sounds promo film from 1966.

I was kindof unimpressed while I was watching it, but thinking back it was actually quite good. Interviews with all the key players, unafraid to ask tetchy questions (Manson, Dennis marrying Mike's daughter, reunion etc), a few interesting choice archive clips (Never Learn Not To Love, the band playing in a hospital...).
The main problem is that the story is so convoluted that it can't be told in a 70-minute one-off; it needs, say, 5 one-hour shows. At least then we could see the archive performances in full...

― harveyw (harveyw), Monday, 10 January 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

Right, The Beach Boys Anthology...

― Aaron Hurts ILX (AaronHz), Monday, 10 January 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

It could be called "Sandthology"

― Ashamed IlXor, Monday, 10 January 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Yes, I would like to see that Jimmy Saville-introduced nursing home concert in full. Again, that's something I'd never heard about before.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 10 January 2005 12:52 (twenty years ago)

It was fascinating stuff but I wanted to see a lot more of it. The decline and fall of Dennis Wilson was particularly gruelling to watch, perhaps more so than Brian in bed for three years. Someone at Warners please get off their butt and reissue Pacific Ocean Blue...

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 10 January 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

I'm no Beach Boys expert, but for a 1-hour, chrononlogical programme it missed out massive chunks; it was still great viewing though.

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 10 January 2005 13:26 (twenty years ago)

Just wondering where this was broadcast...

― Mike B, Monday, 10 January 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

BBC 1

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 10 January 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

about a year ago in Bristol 60s filmmaker Peter Whitehead had a showing of some stuff he did with the Beach Boys and Pink Floyd. The Beach Boys stuff was really interesting, it was them in London - part of it was in the documentary (when the band are trying on lots of cool threads and that bit where I think Dennis and Al are larking around on the street).

i don't know if you can see it anywhere else, I think Whitehead owns the rights to it.

― Louie Strychnine, Monday, 10 January 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

Someone at Warners please get off their butt and reissue Pacific Ocean Blue...

Isn't the legend associated with this album that an individual (fan?) bought the physical stereo master and won't allow it to be replicated? Tim and Harvey know more about this. Obviously Warner have the original CD release in their vaults and could just dupe that but I presume they won't go for a reissue unless they can offer the carrot of better sound quality, outtakes, etc. And not having the master prevents this.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 10 January 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

I missed most of the documentary but what I saw was extraordinary; what a great ending too: "Would you consider playing with The Beach Boys?" BW: "What, again? [Turns to someone off-camera] What do you think?"

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 10 January 2005 14:33 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, that was a bit spooky, especially considering Al's preceding comment about "Brian's people" keeping him away from BW. Certainly Mike, Bruce and Al all seemed perfectly happy and willing to work with him again (even though that comment of Mike's: "No I don't miss Brian 'cause Brian's right here [points to his heart]" was in its own way equally spooky) so it kind of confirms my suspicion that there's still a Eugene Landy-type figure lurking about in the shadows somewhere as far as BW is concerned.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 10 January 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

>>Isn't the legend associated with this album that an individual (fan?) bought the physical stereo master and won't allow it to be replicated?

I've not heard this story before Mike. I think the issues are with copyright ownership, rather than who physically owns the master. As you say, if they have a CD master, that's probably adequate, though hardly ideal.
Anyway, unlike the rest of the Beach Boys Warners/Caribou-era output, I think the rights to POB are still owned by CBS, or perhaps even by James Guercio. Still a reissue would ne good; there are dozens of outtakes out there. Look! Here's some now!

http://lovesurroundsme.tripod.com/index.html

― harveyw (harveyw), Monday, 10 January 2005 15:12 (twenty years ago)

Someone at Warners please get off their butt and reissue Pacific Ocean Blue...

Not an official release, but nearly good enough: www.denniswilsondreamer.com

Notes and bonus tracks, even...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 10 January 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

re Pacific Ocean Blue--maybe Murray is really still alive and owns it? Sold it to a machine-shop operator in Fresno who has the master tapes in his garage?

I'd like to see a movie about the Wilsons, Manson and Alex Chilton in 1968/'69, actually. That would be some funny/strange shit. Dennis: "Hey, Alex, whaddya think of this Charlie Manson's songs?" Alex: "I dunno Dennis, he hasn't killed me yet..."

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 10 January 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Well, if Harvey W hasn't heard the story I'm probably getting mixed up with some other famously-hard-to-get-but-shouldn't-be LP. My mind is going.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 10 January 2005 23:09 (twenty years ago)

Damn! Can't believe I missed this show!

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:09 (twenty years ago)

What about that movie? Jeff Bridges? Where they all walk around in false beards trying to keep them on by tilting their heads upwards most of the time?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:17 (twenty years ago)

If only Brian Wilson had been able to handle his drugs a little better, was the thought that lingered in my head after the programme had finished...

― JoB (JoB), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

I find it beyond bizarre that a group who were still having huge hits in the UK in the late '60s ("Do It Again" was a #1 here in '68) were reduced to playing a nursing home in Leeds. Then again when Hendrix died he had something like eight quid in his bank account. Strange times.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

The "Pacif" tracks used to be on a webpage, once upon, yeah?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps the nursing home was like a trial run for Jim'll Fix It. I'm disappointed more isn't known about this gig, it looked like one of the high water marks for rock'n'roll. The precise level of graininess of the film stock used suggests that it may have been on Nationwide.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)

It must have been Mike Love's idea - he fancied playing to an audience had less hair than him for a change

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

Did anyone else hear that Christmas With The Beach Boys compilation that came out a couple of months ago? The '60s stuff ("Little Saint Nick" etc.) is exactly what you would expect, but the (Mike Love-overseen) '70s tracks are seriously strange - my guvnor at Time Out compared them to SMiLE as done by the Wombles. And there's a Dennis Wilson track "Morning Christmas" which is clearly from the same sessions as Pacific Ocean Blue and is just damagingly gorgeous.

Altogether now..."Loop de loop, flip flop, Santa's got an airplane"...

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

Did you read that letter from Van Dyke Parks slagging off Mike Love in the Mojo? Pompous twerp (VDP that is)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

The thing is, why didn't VDP just tell ML back in '67 what "columnated ruins domino" meant instead of acting like a smug fratboy and smirking "I don't know what it means either, gee I'm stoned"?

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps because it doesn't mean anything it just sounds good? But will it sell Van?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

Christ, the letters page in Mojo is horrific

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

It certainly sounds better before you hear the explanation and/or see the drawings.

― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:49 (twenty years ago)

The letters page in this month's Uncut is even more horrifying.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

I'm off Uncut thesedays.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

xpost
Pic of Girls Aloud w/ caption "So which one's married to David Beckham?"

― Masked Gazza, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

I am seemingly also off Uncut these days.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 15:44 (twenty years ago)

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