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[Ovi]

Question about "Surf's Up" (the song) : On wikipedia it says that the vocals are performed by Carl Wilson/Brian Wilson/Al Jardine. Can any one of you clarify which one of them sings which part? And I'd love to know some more interesting facts about the song. Brilliant song by the way. I also saw Brian's "Home Demo" of the song, and it was one of the most emotional things I've seen lately. Thanks in advance.

[Joost]

Question about "Surf's Up" (the song) : On wikipedia it says that the vocals are performed by Carl Wilson/Brian Wilson/Al Jardine. Can any one of you clarify which one of them sings which part? And I'd love to know some more interesting facts about the song. Brilliant song by the way. I also saw Brian's "Home Demo" of the song, and it was one of the most emotional things I've seen lately. Thanks in advance.

The "home demo" that you saw was recorded for an NBC TV special hosted by Leonard Bernstein (a classical conductor/composer who was impressed with Brian's music).

The released version was ensembled by Carl in 1971 (because Brian could hardly be bothered to do anything productive at the time) and is a combination of unfinished 1966/1967 recordings, and newly recorded vocals and instruments. The first section (the one that Carl sings) combines a finished 1966/1967 backing track that was left instrumental with a 1971 lead vocal by Carl. The second and third sections are a 1966/1967 lead vocal and piano track (not from the NBC special) with everything else added in 1971.

The third section is a "reprise" of another 'SMiLE' song called 'Child is Father of the Man'.

'Surf's Up' is even more impressive if you hear it in it's original "cycle of life section" context (as you can hear on Brian Wilson's 2004 version of the 'SMiLE' album). It starts with 'Wonderful' which then, through 'Song for Children' and 'Child is Father of the Man', seamlessly, slowly and very gracefully morphs into/builds up to 'Surf's Up'. Really one of the most amazing things I've ever heard and probably one of the best examples of Brian Wilson's brilliance.

CARL:
A diamond necklace played the pawn
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
To a handsome mannered baton
A blind class aristocracy
Back through the opera glass you see
The pit and the pendulum drawn
Columnated ruins domino

Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping?

Hung velvet overtaken me
Dim chandelier awaken me
To a song dissolved in the dawn
The music hall a costly bow
The music all is lost for now
To a muted trumpeter swan
Columnated ruins domino

Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping, Brother John?

BRIAN:
Dove nested towers the hour was
Strike the street quicksilver moon
Carriage across the fog
Two-Step to lamp lights cellar tune
The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne

The glass was raised, the fired-roast
The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting
While at port adieu or die

A choke of grief heart hardened I
Beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry

Surf's Up
Aboard a tidal wave
Come about hard and join
The young and often spring you gave
I heard the word
Wonderful thing
A children's song

GROUP:
Child, child, child, child, child
A child is the father of the man
Child, child, child, child, child
A child is the father of the man

AL:
A children's song
Have you listened as they played
Their song is love
And the children know the way

GROUP:
Child, child, child, child, child
Child, child, child, child, child
Na na na na na na na na
Child, child, child, child, child
That's why the child is the father to the man
Child, child, child, child, child

[Joost]

Hi Joost! I can't wait to get the Boxset, I've heard that the tracks in the Boxset are going to be completely different from all of the SMiLE bootlegs. I also understand that the tracks in the Boxset is only a fraction of what is in the vaults. Maybe Capitol will release another SMiLE Boxset later in the future depending on how well the SMiLE Boxset sells in November. In my opinion, without a doubt in my mind, the SMiLE Boxset is going to sell extremely well seeing how big the SMiLE legend really is. SMiLE IS THE MOST FAMOUS UNRELEASED (Soon to be released AT LAST!) ALBUM IN ROCK N' ROLL HISTORY! Joost, the question that is on every music critic's mind is will SMiLE live up to its glorious legend? That question will FINALLY be answered in November and beyond. In my opinion Joost, my answer would be yes and more. Take care Joost.   

Hi! Apparently, presales for the box set are going extremely well. And since the reissue of Dennis Wilson's 'Pacific Ocean Blue' sold very well too, I hope that Capitol picks up the signals and finally opens up the vaults. It's just painful to realize how much great, unreleased stuff is still in there.

[Ovi]

Thanks very much for the info Joost. I'm listening right now to Brian Wilson's "SMiLE". I like the song very much and I didn't know that Carl Wilson had such a good voice. It's a great song, I love the lyrics, whatever they are about.

[Joost]

I love the lyrics, whatever they are about.

Brian Wilson once explained that the lyrics are about a trip, or a dream. The protagonist lives in Europe some centuries ago, in a depressing world plagued by poverty and wars. Then he hears God's voice through music and through the children.

[peterbell1]

The SMiLE Sessions box is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Release date will be November 1. Price will be $110 (very reasonable, I expected it to be at least $200).

Box (3D shadow box lid, 13" x 13" x 2,5"), will contain:
- 5 CD's (in a 6 panel folder)
- 2 LP's (in gatefold sleeve)
- 2 Vinyl singles (Heroes & Villains and Vegetables)
- 60 Page hardcover book with liner notes by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, Frank Holmes, Peter Reum, Tom Nolan and Dominic Priore, anecdotes, a timeline, sessionography, lyrics, Frank Holmes drawings, producer's notes and more than 60 previously unreleased photo's.
- Reproduction of the original 12" x 12" booklet.
- 24" x 36" poster.

That looks amazing!
There's a similar box set package about to come out for The Who's Quadrophenia album as well.

Am I the only one left thinking "If they can produce a package as good as this for The Beach Boys or The Who, why can't they do it for The Beatles too"?!?!

Yes, box sets like this are aimed at true hardcore fans rather than the general CD buyer, but the price reflects that and the record company still makes money on them, even though they will sell in the thousands rather than the millions. I doubt the early Beatles albums would warrant such a lavish set, but can you imagine having a package like this for the likes of Rubber Soul, Revolver, Pepper, The White Album, Abbey Road or Let It Be? Unfortunately, I think "imagine" is as close as we will get, given EMI/Apple's track record!

[BeatlesForever]

The "home demo" that you saw was recorded for an NBC TV special hosted by Leonard Bernstein (a classical conductor/composer who was impressed with Brian's music).

The released version was ensembled by Carl in 1971 (because Brian could hardly be bothered to do anything productive at the time) and is a combination of unfinished 1966/1967 recordings, and newly recorded vocals and instruments. The first section (the one that Carl sings) combines a finished 1966/1967 backing track that was left instrumental with a 1971 lead vocal by Carl. The second and third sections are a 1966/1967 lead vocal and piano track (not from the NBC special) with everything else added in 1971.

The third section is a "reprise" of another 'SMiLE' song called 'Child is Father of the Man'.

'Surf's Up' is even more impressive if you hear it in it's original "cycle of life section" context (as you can hear on Brian Wilson's 2004 version of the 'SMiLE' album). It starts with 'Wonderful' which then, through 'Song for Children' and 'Child is Father of the Man', seamlessly, slowly and very gracefully morphs into/builds up to 'Surf's Up'. Really one of the most amazing things I've ever heard and probably one of the best examples of Brian Wilson's brilliance.

CARL:
A diamond necklace played the pawn
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
To a handsome mannered baton
A blind class aristocracy
Back through the opera glass you see
The pit and the pendulum drawn
Columnated ruins domino

Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping?

Hung velvet overtaken me
Dim chandelier awaken me
To a song dissolved in the dawn
The music hall a costly bow
The music all is lost for now
To a muted trumpeter swan
Columnated ruins domino

Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping, Brother John?

BRIAN:
Dove nested towers the hour was
Strike the street quicksilver moon
Carriage across the fog
Two-Step to lamp lights cellar tune
The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne

The glass was raised, the fired-roast
The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting
While at port adieu or die

A choke of grief heart hardened I
Beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry

Surf's Up
Aboard a tidal wave
Come about hard and join
The young and often spring you gave
I heard the word
Wonderful thing
A children's song

GROUP:
Child, child, child, child, child
A child is the father of the man
Child, child, child, child, child
A child is the father of the man

AL:
A children's song
Have you listened as they played
Their song is love
And the children know the way

GROUP:
Child, child, child, child, child
Child, child, child, child, child
Na na na na na na na na
Child, child, child, child, child
That's why the child is the father to the man
Child, child, child, child, child

How's it going Joost? I hope all is well with you. I love the way you explain the sections of "Surf's Up" in detail, it really gives the listener a better overall understanding of the song. If it is alright with you, I would like to add more to your post.

As we all know, "Surf's Up" was one of the great masterpieces that was to be the main centerpiece of SMiLE other than "Heroes And Villains" and "The Elements." When SMiLE was shelved in 1967, so was "Surf's Up" until late 1970 and into 1971.

In 1966, Denny once said that Brian Wilson was THE BEACH BOYS and the rest of the band were his messengers. In reality, Brian's Cousin Mike Love, Brian's Brother Carl and Brian's dear friend Al Jardine resented that fact. And because of that fact, Mike, Carl and sometimes Al did not want Brian in the studio anymore. This would make Brian feel depressed and unwanted making him not want to come out of his room for 2-3 years. Mike, Carl and Al wanted to prove to everyone, including Brian, that THE BEACH BOYS was NOT Brian Wilson.   

In late 1970 and into 1971, THE BEACH BOYS (Minus Brian) were working on an album called LANDLOCKED. The band's label, Warner Brothers, were not happy with many of the songs that were on the LANDLOCKED album and were thinking of shelving the album indefinitely. In reality, Warner Brothers wanted SMiLE finished for release as it was part of the deal that THE BEACH BOYS agreed to. However, since Brian was not permitted any studio time in the studio, including his own home studio, thanks to Mike, Carl and Al, Brian would just stay away from the studio all together.

THE BEACH BOYS were in a bad situation and really needed help on the LANDLOCKED album. Carl was in full charge (Mike appointed him in charge) of the entire LANDLOCKED album but was having problems finishing the album since there was not enough great songs to complete the LANDLOCKED album. Carl asked Brian for help but Brian refused since he knew that he was not really wanted.

In reality, certain band members within THE BEACH BOYS did NOT like the three Brian Wilson songs "Day In The Life Of A Tree," "'Til I Die" and "Surf's Up." In my opinion, had there been enough songs for the LANDLOCKED album, all three Brian Wilson compositions would have never made it on the album.

The story of how "Surf's Up" was resurrected, was done out of desperation. It was Mike's and Carl's idea to bring back "Surf's Up" in order to satisfy Warner Brothers desire in bringing back SMiLE. However, Brian was not in favor of bringing back SMiLE nor was he ever in favor of bringing back "Surf's Up." Carl, without Brian's consent as well as against Brian's wishes when he found out, Carl would set out and start working on "Surf's Up" in Brian's home studio. The new version of "Surf's Up" was all Carl's work until the very end. Carl was having difficulty finding a suitable ending for "Surf's Up" and was even considering dropping the song from the album. It was at this time when Brian stepped up and told Carl that he needed to add something to the final movement in order to finish the song.

It was a lyric that no one knew about except Brian and Van Dyke Parks. It would be the final piece to the "Surf's Up" puzzle. The lyric was:

A Children's song, have you listened as they play?
Their song is love, and the children know the way.

In my opinion, Brian should have finished "Surf's Up" and not Carl. It is also my opinion that had Brian worked on "Surf's Up" from start to finish, the song would have sounded completely different.

Carl would also make the final decision in adding Brian's songs "Day In The Life Of A Tree," "'Til I Die" and "Surf's Up" to the new album since the new album desperately needed more songs. Carl would also change the name of the album from LANDLOCKED to SURF'S UP.

Some of the many decisions that Carl made for the SURF'S UP album angered Brian and would be ONE of the main markers that would break up the relationship between Brian and Carl. Another marker was that Brian felt betrayed by his own Brother Carl seeing that Carl was brainwashed by his own cousin Mike. There was another serious and deep marker that would truly come between Brian and Carl but I choose to keep that one to myself out of respect for Brian. In my opinion, Mike turned Brother against Brother, Cousin against Cousin and friend against friend. However, Brian and Carl would iron out their differences prior to Carl's death in February 1998. Please do not get me wrong, I mean no disrespect to the late great Carl Wilson in any way. In some ways, like Brian, Carl Wilson was blessed with a God-given talent along with being gifted with a beautiful angelic voice. Carl was also very talented in the studio as well as performing live on stage but he was no Brian Wilson by a long shot. There is so much to this story Joost that I can write a book on the song "Surf's Up" alone. Take care Joost.                             

[Hello Goodbye]

The released version was ensembled by Carl in 1971 (because Brian could hardly be bothered to do anything productive at the time) and is a combination of unfinished 1966/1967 recordings, and newly recorded vocals and instruments. The first section (the one that Carl sings) combines a finished 1966/1967 backing track that was left instrumental with a 1971 lead vocal by Carl. The second and third sections are a 1966/1967 lead vocal and piano track (not from the NBC special) with everything else added in 1971.

The third section is a "reprise" of another 'SMiLE' song called 'Child is Father of the Man'.

'Surf's Up' is even more impressive if you hear it in it's original "cycle of life section" context (as you can hear on Brian Wilson's 2004 version of the 'SMiLE' album). It starts with 'Wonderful' which then, through 'Song for Children' and 'Child is Father of the Man', seamlessly, slowly and very gracefully morphs into/builds up to 'Surf's Up'. Really one of the most amazing things I've ever heard and probably one of the best examples of Brian Wilson's brilliance.

If only it had been released in 1967...

[BeatlesForever]

If only it had been released in 1967...

I totally agree with you Hello Goodbye! In my opinion, SMiLE was Brian's greatest masterpiece, and yet, it was denied GREATNESS (Except in bootleg form in the underground)...until now. Take care. 

[Hello Goodbye]

I totally agree with you Hello Goodbye! In my opinion, SMiLE was Brian's greatest masterpiece, and yet, it was denied GREATNESS (Except in bootleg form in the underground)...until now. Take care. 

Yes and it would have changed the course of music.

[BeatlesForever]

Yes and it would have changed the course of music.

Most DEFINITELY with a capital "D!" In my opinion, SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and SMiLE could have singlehandedly changed the course of popular music forever! But it was not to be. Instead, SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND would be the album that would change the course of music forever while SMiLE would be shelved indefinitely thus being cheated out of Rock n' Roll history which would result in disappointing all of the music fans as well as THE BEACH BOYS' peers in the music industry including THE BEATLES and George Martin. The world was waiting for SMiLE, it was a real tragedy when it was cancelled and not released as planned in December 1966 and later in January 1967. In my opinion, cancelling SMiLE was a REAL MAJOR loss for Rock n' Roll. Take care.         

[Joost]

I have to say that I can somewhat understand Carl's attitude towards Brian in the early 70s.

First of all, we know now that Brian was and is mentally ill, but nobody knew that yet at the time. For all Carl knew in 1970/1971, Brian was just acting weird and doing too much drugs. It must have been very painful for Carl to see his big brother in the state that he was in.

Second, The Beach Boys were everything to Carl. Ever since he was 14 years old, that band had been his friends, his family, his whole social circle, his source of income, his carreer, his creative outlet, the reason why he was famous, the reason why he travelled the world, all rolled into one. It must have been incredibly frustrating to see all of that going down.

With all of the above in mind, I think I can see why Carl wasn't like "It's OK, Brian. Just stay in bed and do whatever you want".

[BeatlesForever]

I have to say that I can somewhat understand Carl's attitude towards Brian in the early 70s.

First of all, we know now that Brian was and is mentally ill, but nobody knew that yet at the time. For all Carl knew in 1970/1971, Brian was just acting weird and doing too much drugs. It must have been very painful for Carl to see his big brother in the state that he was in.

Second, The Beach Boys were everything to Carl. Ever since he was 14 years old, that band had been his friends, his family, his whole social circle, his source of income, his carreer, his creative outlet, the reason why he was famous, the reason why he travelled the world, all rolled into one. It must have been incredibly frustrating to see all of that going down.

With all of the above in mind, I think I can see why Carl wasn't like "It's OK, Brian. Just stay in bed and do whatever you want".

How's it going Joost, my fellow Beach Boys fanatic! How's the weather in The Netherlands?

In my opinion, Brian would become mentally ill for the following reasons:

(1.) Murry Wilson - Brian tried his whole life in gaining his Father's approval that when SMiLE collapsed, Brian really felt like a failure.

(2.) L.S.D. - Like Syd Barrett and Peter Green, L.S.D. got the best of Brian. Joost, I take it that you have seen the BEAUTIFUL DREAMER, BRIAN WILSON & THE STORY OF SMiLE DVD. According to both Van Dyke Parks and Mike Vosse, Drugs did not play a big part in the Brian Wilson story. If anything, Parks and Vosse both believed that the drugs helped speed up the progress of SMiLE although I find that very hard to believe. The paranoia began during the recording of the infamous "Fire" tracks. 

(3.) Mike Love - In my opinion, Mike played a very vital role in Brian's downfall. Although I must confess, I must give some of that responsibility to Brian himself. Brian, being the leader of THE BEACH BOYS, should have stood up to Mike and put him in his place. Brian was not a confrontational person, he did not know how to stand up for himself. If Brian would have stood up to Mike alone, the course of THE BEACH BOYS would have been completely different.

I do agree with you Joost when you say that you can understand Carl's attitude toward's Brian in the early 70's. I truly believe that Carl was put in a very bad situation thanks partly to both Mike and Brian.

Denny always said that he had three deep regrets in his life, they were:

(1) How he treated his second wife Barbara. Barbara was the perfect woman and Denny screwed it up.

(2.) Watching Brian going through his inner turmoil. Denny would cry and say that it was so painful to watch.

(3.) Charles Manson - I need not go any further with that.

I would hear Denny punishing and torturing himself by mentioning these three regrets the last two years of his life. Take care Joost.   
                                               

[Joost]

I'm doing good, how about you? The weather here has been terrible for the last few months, pretty much the whole summer has been rainy and relatively cold.

Although I'm not an expert on the subject, I think that mental illness is, at least partially, something you're born with. The drugs and the pressure probably didn't help.

I recently read an interesting observation about Brian. I'm not sure by who, but I think it was Andrew G. Doe. It seems that Brian just needs and maybe even wants some kind of "bully" to tell him what to do. Someone who tells him to get off his ass and get things done, someone who makes his decisions for him, someone he can hide behind. First it was Murry Wilson, then Eugene Landy and now Melinda. It seems like he just can't function without someone like that. Just think about it, when was Brian at his very worst? At the times when neither Murry, Landy nor Melinda was in his life.

[BeatlesForever]

I'm doing good, how about you? The weather here has been terrible for the last few months, pretty much the whole summer has been rainy and relatively cold.

Although I'm not an expert on the subject, I think that mental illness is, at least partially, something you're born with. The drugs and the pressure probably didn't help.

I recently read an interesting observation about Brian. I'm not sure by who, but I think it was Andrew G. Doe. It seems that Brian just needs and maybe even wants some kind of "bully" to tell him what to do. Someone who tells him to get off his ass and get things done, someone who makes his decisions for him, someone he can hide behind. First it was Murry Wilson, then Eugene Landy and now Melinda. It seems like he just can't function without someone like that. Just think about it, when was Brian at his very worst? At the times when neither Murry, Landy nor Melinda was in his life.

Hi Joost! I'm doing great, thanks for asking. The weather has been very hot here in San Antonio, Texas although it wants to rain. Last month, Texas had the hottest August in U.S. history.

You make some very good points Joost and I especially like how you express them in full detail. I know the article you are talking about. In my opinion, the guy is partially wrong!

It is true, to an extent, that Brian does needs someone to motivate him in getting things done. However, think about it, Murry would always bully and make Brian feel that he needed him and that he couldn't do anything without him. Brian would always try to stand up to Murry like a man only to be broken down to nothing.

Think about it Joost, After Brian fired his own Father Murry, Brian only had to deal with Mike. With this in mind, Brian now had all of the freedom in the studio and would finally get to do what he really wanted to do. Without Murry, Brian would mastermind the PET SOUNDS album, then the 45 R.P.M. single "Good Vibrations." In 1966, Brian was on top of the world and was at his most creative peak EVER! Brian didn't need anyone for that.

Then came SMiLE! With THE BEACH BOYS on tour in England in 1966, Brian was back in L.A. with Van Dyke Parks putting together his greatest masterpiece yet! The album was making great progress and was moving smoothly. Yes, the Paranoia during the "Fire" tapes was a marker. But lets face it, When THE BEACH BOYS returned back to L.A. from England, that's when the sh*t really hit the fan. The fact of the matter here Joost is that Mike, Carl and Al did not like SMiLE. Mike HATED SMiLE! Brian hated rejection! Mike told Brian not to f*c* with the formula. To make matters worse, Murry would bully his way into the studio and tell Brian that the album is no good, that he is destined for failure. Then Capitol Records told Brian that the album does not sound like THE BEACH BOYS, record a typical BEACH BOYS album. THE BEACH BOYS were also filing a lawsuit against Capitol Records over a Royalties dispute which would strain the relationship between THE BEACH BOYS and Capitol Records.

Joost, I know that you are very familiar with all of these facts seeing that you are very knowledgeable and know your BEACH BOYS history extremely well. In my opinion Joost, Brian desperately needed help mentally after SMiLE was cancelled. I really don't believe for a moment Joost that Brian was born with mental problems nor did he have mental problems until after SMiLE. This was not mental problems that Brian was born with, it was extreme pressure that was put upon him by Murry as well as certain members of THE BEACH BOYS not to mention Capitol Records. Brian's nervous breakdown in 1964 was the result of all of the extreme pressure put on him by Murry. 

Denny said it best: In the beginning, Murry would physically beat Denny and mentally beat Brian. Carl was the youngest and usually avoided everything. Denny didn't have a mental problem, he didn't put up with Murry's sh*t! Denny NEVER let Murry break him mentally. In Denny's opinion, Denny always felt that he received attention and affection when Murry beat him. In my opinion, I think Denny loved it. Murry broke Brian mentally, lets face it. Mike didn't help either, he was a very big contribution.

The guy that wrote the article was partially right, but he was wrong in many ways also. What do you think Joost? Take care.                     

 

[Joost]

Like I said, I'm not an expert on the field of mental illness. But it's a fact that mental illness is often genetically determined, and it's also a fact that Brian comes from a family where almost everyone seems to have some issues. Brian, Dennis and Carl were all at some point drug and alcohol addicts. Their father physically and mentally abused his sons and their mother was an alcoholic. And by all accounts, Murry was still a saint compared to his own father. And Brian's daughter Carnie has been struggling with weight problems for her whole life.

Of course the pressure, the drugs and his upbringing didn't help, but it's my impression that Brian was mentally never a very stable person to begin with.

[BeatlesForever]

Hi Joost! How's it going? I've been getting into THE BEACH BOYS' SMiLE era by listening to another SMiLE bootleg that I failed to mention in your thread earlier. In my opinion, this is another great SMiLE bootleg from 1993. It is the 2-CD Vigotone release, Matrix ID # VIGO 110/111. The tracks are as follows:

DISC 1

(1.) Heroes And Villains
(2.) Do You Like Worms
(3.) Medley: The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine
(4.) Wonderful
(5.) Child Is Father Of The Man
(6.) Prayer
(7.) Cabin-Essence
(8.) Good Vibrations
(9.) Vege-Tables/I'm In Great Shape
(10.) Wind Chimes
(11.) Mrs. O' Leary's Cow
(12.) Cool Cool Water
(13.) Surf's Up
(14.) Prayer
(15.) I love To Say Dada
(16.) Untitled (She's Goin' Bald)
(17.) Untitled (With Me Tonight)
(18.) Wonderful
(19.) Child Is Father Of The Man
(20.) You're Welcome
(21.) through (25.) Heroes And Villains/Do You Like Worms

DISC 2

(1.) Good Vibrations
(2.) Cabin-Essence
(3.) Surf's Up
(4.) and (5.) Tones/Tune X
(6.) Medley: The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine
(7.) George Fell Into His French Horn
(8.) Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
(9.) Barnyard
(10.) The Woodshop Song
(11.) Holidays
(12.) Prayer
(13.) Surf's Up
(14.) Smile Era Party

The sound quality of this 2-CD set is outstanding! Take care Joost.     

[Joost]

How about some personal favorites lists? Let's see those top 5/10/15/whatever lists, people!

Mine:

Songs
1. God Only Knows
2. Surf's Up
3. Time To Get Alone
4. Forever
5. This Whole World
6. Wouldn't It Be Nice
7. Break Away
8. I Get Around
9. Our Prayer
10. Cabinessence
11. Good Vibrations
12. Friends
13. All I Wanna Do
14. Aren't You Glad
15. Winter Symphony

Albums
1. Sunflower
2. Pet Sounds
3. SMiLE
4. Friends
5. The Beach Boys Today!
6. Wild Honey
7. Smiley Smile
8. 20/20
9. All Summer Long
10. Surf's Up

[BeatlesForever]

Like I said, I'm not an expert on the field of mental illness. But it's a fact that mental illness is often genetically determined, and it's also a fact that Brian comes from a family where almost everyone seems to have some issues. Brian, Dennis and Carl were all at some point drug and alcohol addicts. Their father physically and mentally abused his sons and their mother was an alcoholic. And by all accounts, Murry was still a saint compared to his own father. And Brian's daughter Carnie has been struggling with weight problems for her whole life.

Of course the pressure, the drugs and his upbringing didn't help, but it's my impression that Brian was mentally never a very stable person to begin with.

Hi Joost, my fellow BEACH BOYS fanatic! How are ya? Joost, I really can understand your point and why you would come to your conclusion about Brian. If I were you, I would probably feel the same way. However, spending time with Brian, I once thought that there was something wrong with him mentally seeing that he talks weird when he lifts one side of his lip. As we both know Joost, Brian was hit on one side of his face (Right side) with a two-by-four by Murry which would result in damaging Brian's right ear thus making him permanently deaf. Because of this, along with how Brian expresses himself, one might think that he was mentally unstable. Believe me when I say that Brian is sharp as can be despite being heavily medicated for Auditory Halucinations as a result of excessive L.S.D. abuse.

Denny told me on a couple of occasions that he hated his Grandfather (Murry's Dad), he said that he was worse than Murry. In my opinion, after partying with Denny the last two years of his life, Denny was in far worse shape than Brian ever was. Witnessing seeing Denny go through his violent seizures, there are no horrific words that can describe it.

Carnie has mental issues as a result of not having her Father around when she was younger. Carnie LOVES to eat just like Brian! Did you hear a while back about Carnie's home going into foreclosure?

I used to date Wendy in the early 80's, she is such a sweetheart. She caught me with another woman and dumped me. MY LOSS! Take care Joost.   

           

[BeatlesForever]

How about some personal favorites lists? Let's see those top 5/10/15/whatever lists, people!

Mine:

Songs
1. God Only Knows
2. Surf's Up
3. Time To Get Alone
4. Forever
5. This Whole World
6. Wouldn't It Be Nice
7. Break Away
8. I Get Around
9. Our Prayer
10. Cabinessence
11. Good Vibrations
12. Friends
13. All I Wanna Do
14. Aren't You Glad
15. Winter Symphony

Albums
1. Sunflower
2. Pet Sounds
3. SMiLE
4. Friends
5. The Beach Boys Today!
6. Wild Honey
7. Smiley Smile
8. 20/20
9. All Summer Long
10. Surf's Up

Hi Joost! WOW, this is a tough one! I love all of THE BEACH BOYS' music! Okay, here we go as follows (Not in any particular order):

SONGS

(1.) God Only Knows
(2.) Forever
(3.) Surf's Up
(4.) Slip On Through
(5.) All I Wanna Do
(6.) Susie Cincinnati (From the LANDLOCKED bootleg)
(7.) 'Til I Die (The 5:01 version from the LANDLOCKED bootleg)
(8.) All I Want To Do
(9.) Break  Away
(10.) Do It Again
(11.) Darlin'
(12.) Kokomo
(13.) Student Demonstration Time
(14.) The Little Girl I Once Knew
(15.) Good To My Baby
(16.) Please Let Me Wonder
(17.) You're So Good To Me
(18.) Let Him Run Wild
(19.) Good Vibrations
(20.) California Girls

ALBUMS

(1.) SMiLE
(2.) PET SOUNDS
(3.) SUNFLOWER
(4.) 20/20
(5.) THE BEACH BOYS TODAY!
(6.) FRIENDS
(7.) All SUMMER LONG
(8.) SURF'S UP
(9.) WILD HONEY
(10.) SMILEY SMILE

Take care Joost.