FAQ

Brian Wilson is a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the founder member and leading creative force behind the Beach Boys, one of the best known popular music groups of all time. He is probably best known to the general public as the composer of many classic 1960s tunes such as "I Get Around", "California Girls", "Help Me Rhonda" and "Good Vibrations." He is also wrote the music for, and produced "Pet Sounds", an album consistently rated as one of the best records of the popular era.

Since the heyday of the Beach Boys in the early and mid 60s, Brian Wilson has suffered a number of personal problems, and the group has never been the commercial force it was then. However, Brian Wilson has continued to compose and perform music to the present time, and his recent return to the concert stage has been hailed as one of the greatest comebacks in rock music history. He has recently achieved significant commercial and critical success with the completion, performance and release of "SMiLE", the album that was meant to follow "Pet Sounds" but was abandoned before it was completed.

Many other serious pop and rock artists have expressed how much Brian Wilson's music has influenced them. Activities in recent years such as performances at Glastonbury and Live 8 in 2005, the induction to the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Kennedy Centre honours in 2007 ,receiving the UCLA George and Ira Gershwin Award in 2011, and the successful Beach Boys reunion tour, have raised Brian's public profile. His place as one of the leading musical geniuses of the current era is secure for a very long time.

Not the easiest question to answer! The classic Beach Boys line-up is generally considered to be brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. This was the line-up when the group started out, and also during the era of many of their classic hits (1963-65).Further details of this line-up are as follows.

Dennis Wilson born 12/4/44, Hawthorne, CA, died 12/28/83
Carl Wilson born 12/21/46, Hawthorne, CA, died 2/6/98
Brian Wilson born 6/20/42, Hawthorne, CA,
Mike Love born 3/15/41, Los Angeles, CA,
Alan Jardine born 9/3/42, Lima, OH,

Brian Wilson quit touring on a regular with the rest of the band from 1965 onwards to concentrate on making records in the studio, and also because he didn't enjoy the touring. Glen Campbell replaced him briefly on tour, and then Bruce Johnston replaced him on a more permanent basis. Bruce has been with the band most of the time since then and is still in the official touring Beach Boys. Aside from the classic line-up, he has probably the most right to be called a Beach Boy.

Others who have been regarded as official Beach Boys for a while in the early 1970s include Rikki Fataar and Blondie Chaplin, who were in a South African group called Flame before joining the Beach Boys, and David Marks who played guitar in the 1962-63 period when Al Jardine left the group briefly.

It is worth noting that the voting members of the Beach Boys corporation are the surviving members of the original classic line-up (Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Mike Love), as well as Carl Wilson's sons, who represent his estate. They have the final say on what appears on Beach Boys albums and re-releases. However, until the recently announced 50th anniversary concerts, Mike Love had rights to the name Beach Boys for touring purposes, and was touring with Bruce Johnston (and David Marks was in that band for a while), while Al Jardine and Brian Wilson were involved in their own projects and tours. The "official" Beach Boys for the 50th anniversary concerts were Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston.

Dennis had a serious alcohol problem in the years leading to his death. On December 28, 1983 Dennis was at the marina where he docked his old boat "Harmony." He dove in the water to retrieve some things he threw in the water years before. He came up once and then drowned. The president of the USA at that stage, the late Ronald Reagan, gave special permission to allow Dennis to be buried at sea.

There are quite a few tributes to Dennis on the web which are worth checking out. Here is one of many tribute sites for Dennis. He is certainly very much missed by many friends and fans

Carl Wilson had lung cancer, which spread very quickly. He fought the disease bravely, and appeared in concerts while being treated for the disease, but passed away on February 6, 1998. He is buried in Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles

Carl has been tremendously missed by fans of the group. As with Dennis, there are lot of tributes Carl on the web which are worth checking out. You should definitley have a look at the Carl Wilson foundation. . Carl's memory has been kept alive by annual walks for cancer, if you get a chance, don't miss these events.

After years of the Beach Boys having effectively split up as a band, 2012 saw the most extensive activity from the band, including all the living members, for many years. This includes an extensive series of concerts celebrating 50 years of the band, as well as a new studio album called "That's Why God Made The Radio." However, after the last show of the reunion tour in September 2012, the Beach Boys effectively split, with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston having license to the name Beach Boys, while Brian Wilson will be touring in 2013 with Al Jardine and David Marks, as well as working on a new studio album with them.

Prior to 2012, Brian Wilson had been very active, probably having his most productive decade since the heyday of the Beach Boys. He premiered the legendary "lost" album SMiLE during a European tour in February and March 2004, and a studio version of SMiLE was released in September 2004. In February 2005, Brian won his first Grammy in a nominated category for the instrumental, "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow." 2005 saw some extensive summer tours by Brian and his band of Europe and North America, including a gig at Glastonbury. He was also been involved in raising money for relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and released his Christmas album, What I Really Want For Christmas" and Katrina benefit single "Walking Down The Path Of Life/Love And Mercy" at the end of 2005. 2007 saw an extensive summer tour and the September 2007 live premiere of a new work "That Lucky Old Sun" which was released as a new studio album in September 2008. 2009 saw further extensive touring and the announcement of a two-record deal with Disney. The first of the Disney albums included songs written by George Gershwin, including uncompleted songs from Gershwin that Brian completed. This album, "Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin" was released on August 17, 2010. In 2011, Brian Wilson released the second of the Disney albums, "In The Key Of Disney" including classic songs from Disney movies.

Brian Wilson's official site, http://www.brianwilson.com, should be checked for his latest activities. The Beach Boys Fan Club page provides the most up to date information on the Beach Boys current activities. The URL is http://www.beachboysfanclub.com.

Current news, with regular updates, can also be found on Bret Wheadon's page at http://www.beachboys.com/updates.html.

Yes, they did! 2011 is generally regarded as the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys - their first recordings and live shows were in the second half of 1961. There was a lot of speculation that there will be a reunion of the surviving Beach Boys and there were mixed responses from the surviving Beach Boys. However, in December 2011, a reunion tour was confirmed. A studio album of all-new songs called "That's Why God Made The Radio" was released on June 5, 2012, with the title track released as an internet single in April 2012. Subsequently, a greatest hit collection, live album and box set have been released (or are scheduled for release).

Brian's parents were Murry and Audree Wilson, Murry was a part-time musician. Brian's first wife was Marilyn (maiden name: Rovell)and they were married from 1964 to 1978. Their two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, achieved fame as part of Wilson Phillips.

Brian remarried in 1995 to Melinda Ledbetter and they have adopted five children (sons Dylan and Dash, daughters Daria,Delanie and Dakota.)

You can check out the messages section of this page. It is an area where anyone can post messages and discuss any relevant topic. The board has been through a number of incarnations due to domain changes, and hacking, but remains a popular forum.

There are two newsgroups rec.music.artists.beach-boys and alt.music.beach-boys , the rec. group has much more traffic.

There are also a number of mailing lists for the Beach Boys. Ethan Jones started the first Beach Boys mailing List known as "surfsup" in January of 1994. This list came to an end in September 1994. After a short hiatus the list was taken over by Ray Aguilera and renamed "dumb-angel" in October 1994 but this list closed in February of 1995.

In February of 1995, Michael Urbanski started the Smile list which closed early in 1996. Stephen Marinick then started the Pet Sounds mailing list in late January 1996, and late in 1997, it was taken over by Leon Lively who has being running it since, and it remains probably the best known on the internet. You can find more information on joining it at http://landlocked.iwaynet.net/mailman/listinfo/petsounds.

This page has a lot of other information about the Beach Boys including an extensive track and album archive. There are a number of other fan sites for the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson-some listed on our links page

The short answer is no. None of the Beach Boys have any publicly known e-mail addresses. However, Brian Wilson (or someone very close to him) has taken part in discussions on his official site (http://www.brianwilson.com), and Al Jardine also has an official site with a message board (http://www.aljardine.com). Bruce Johnston has also contributed to some of message boards. Messages relating to Brian Wilson could possibly be sent to his fan club at bw@celebritymerch.com .

Snail mail letters to the Beach Boys or requests for information should be sent to:

BRI
4860 San Jacinto Circle West
Fallbrook, CA 92028

Please do not e-mail this site with requests for direct contact with Brian or any of the Beach Boys. We are just a fan site, and we really don't know how to get hold of them!

There is a lot of Beach Boys and related music. The Beach Boys have released 28 studio albums (, and in addition there are five live albums, three box sets and many other compilations. Brian Wilson has released nine studio albums, two live albums plus another album with Van Dyke Parks. Then there are the solo efforts of the other band members, plus music that Brian wrote and produced for others. The quality of this music is certainly variable but a lot of it is essential in understanding why Brian Wilson is so highly regarded as a composer and producer, and why the Beach Boys are one of the most important groups in rock history.

Many fans will tell you to start with Pet Sounds. It was voted the "Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Album of All Time" by the editors of MOJO magazine (August 1995) and is consistently rated one of the greatest albums ever made in many other polls of critics and musicians. It contains production techniques way ahead of its time and its introspective lyrics have inspired and comforted many

If you want a good overview of the band's entire history, the box set "Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys" is highly recommended, although it can be pricey. It consists of 5 CDs (6 in parts of Europe) packed with all the hits, good album tracks, and unreleased gems (including 30 minutes of "SMiLE" material). Another retrospective box set is due for release in August 2013.

Other albums that are generally well-rated by Beach Boys fans include "Surfer Girl", "All Summer Long", "Today", "Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)", "Wild Honey", "Friends", "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up". The new album from 2012 "That's Why God Made The Radio" is also well regarded./

There are a lot of Greatest Hits compilations around- the first compilation was released in 1966 at a similar time to "Pet Sounds"- the 2003 compilation "Sounds Of Summer" has been very succesful and gives an overview of the group's best known songs. Another greatest hits album was released as part of the 50th album celebration!

In terms of Brian's solo works, the 2004 release of SMiLE received almost universal critical acclaim, and is highly recommended as a core part of Brian's works. His other solo albums have received at least a mixed response from fans and critics, and in my view, are all worth seeking out to get a full view on Brian's works. Dennis's solo album, "Pacific Ocean Blue", is generally very highly regarded amongst fans and critics, and has recently been re-released with a lot of bonus tracks(see question 2c). Other solo albums by Mike, Carl and Bruce are less highly regarded by fans and critics.

Musical tastes amongst Beach Boys fans do vary a lot, and a lot of time on fan forums is spent debating the merits and demerits of different albums. Sometimes you just have to jump in, and decide for yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised.

All of the Beach Boys original albums released up until 1985 are now readily available. Most of these albums are "two-fers" (i.e 2 albums on one CD) , with the exception of a few albums like Pet Sounds which are not paired with any other album. It would appear that the last two "proper" Beach Boys albums, "Still Cruisin'" and "Summer In Paradise" are getting harder to find as these have not been re-issued on CD since their original release, but one should still be able to get a second-hand copy online or elsewhere.

The original CD releases of the Beach Boys formats were as "two-fers" with bonus tracks for the 60s albums and as one album per CD for the 70s and 80s material. The 60s albums were subsequently re-released as one album per disc with no bonus tracks. It is already hard to find the 70s and 80s albums as one album per disc, and it will probably become increasingly hard to find this format for the 60s albums. The 2001 re-releases of the 60s "two-fers" are identical in most respects to the original CD two-fer releases of that material. In 2012, selected albums were remastered and re-released as single discs.

Brian's solo work should all be readily available, his first solo album was re-released in 2000 with bonus tracks. His 2000 album, "Live at the Roxy Theatre" was originally only available on the internet but is now available on general release (with additional tracks).
Probably the hardest albums to find on CD currently are some of the other band member's solo albums, although as mentioned above, Dennis Wilson's "Pacific Ocean Blue" was re-released on CD in 2008 and Carl Wilson's "Youngblood" in 2010. Other solo albums by Mike Love and Carl Wilson were only released on CD outside the USA, or not at all. Bruce Johnston's solo album "Going Public" has also had a fairly recent CD re-release.

A lot of record shops around the world have a poor selection of Beach Boys material, even although there is a lot of material currently available. If you can't find a CD you are looking for, it may be worth trying a major on-line stores. Amazon (www.amazon.com) is an on-line stores that I have had reasonable experiences with, and can deliver to most places in the world. (note that this link is not part of any incentive program for this store.)

Otherwise the rare stuff does appear now and then, particularly in second-hand shops, and you can also look out on the various fan forums mentioned in question 1g.

"The SMiLE Sessions" -released in a number of formats including a box set- is an official release of the (in)famous sessions for the most famous unreleased album in history. It includes a version of album largely along the lines of Brian's 2004 release. The new studio album in 2012 was called "That's Why God Made The Radio", and reached #3 on the Billboard charts. A new greatest hits compilation, live album of the 50th tour, and box set called "Made In California" have also been released or will shortly be released.

There is quite an extensive selection of Beach Boys bootlegs as the group recorded a lot of material which wasn't released, although a fair amount of this material has now been released officially on various compilations and more may follow. Check out the bootlegs section on this page, and also the various rarities sections on Bret Wheadon's page at http://www.beachboys.com . Do remember bootlegs are illegal, and people will not be that open in giving their sources on how they obtained these records. Please do not e-mail this site asking where to find bootlegs- this is not, repeat not, third time for emphasis not a bootleg trading site. Thanks for not asking.

Lyrics to most Beach Boys and solo songs are available on this webpage, which is generally regarded as the best source on the web for these lyrics.

Guitar tabs, and a few piano tabs and vocal harmony charts are on this site at http://www.cabinessence.com/brian/tabs.shtml. These now cover just about all of the Beach Boys and Brian's solo work.

Otherwise, you should try any shop that sells musical instruments and go through their selection. A book to check out is "The Beach Boys Complete" by Belwin Inc. Their address is 15800 N.W. 48th Avenue Miami, FLA 33014. The publisher is Almo.

The short answer is that based on the quality of the material within SMiLE, and the originally planned timing of the release (just before the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" album), there is a definite sense that the album could have changed rock and roll history. Remember, Brian and the Beach Boys were on a critical high after "Pet Sounds" and a commercial high after the release of "Good Vibrations" which should have been the "lead-off" single for SMiLE. The fact that the album was seen to have "burned-out" Brian (although he made some very high quality music in the years following the SMiLE sessions) added to the legend.

Although many of the main songs from SMiLE were released on subsequent albums, there was always the mystery of what the final track line-up and running order would have been, especially given the amount of material attempted at the recording sessions for SMiLE. You will find plenty of fan sites with "home-made" versions of the album, although this has lessened with the recent performances and studio release of the album.

Basically there are many factors involved in "Smile" not being released in 1967. The Beach Boys filed a lawsuit for back royalties against Capitol at the time and formed their own record label, Brother Records. Brian Wilson was not receiving the support he needed from the band as he was trying to complete his masterpiece. Brian Wilson's lyricist for the project, Van Dyke Parks, left the project before it was completed. These factors combined with Brian's mental problems and heavy drug use undoubtedly played some role in the demise of "Smile", and it is probably a combination of these things, rather than one factor that stopped "Smile" being released.

SMiLE was performed for the first time on 20 February in 2004 in London by Brian Wilson. A studio version of this version of SMiLE will be released in September 2004. It has been made clear that this is a 2004 version of the album and some of the links and lyrics have been recently written to provide a coherent whole. It is clear that this version would have been different to the one released in 1967, however there is still uncertainty on exactly how much of "Smile" was completed in 1967, and it is very possible that Brian never had a complete vision on what the final album would be like. Fans seem to have generally accepted the 2004 version of SMiLE as a very effective completion of SMiLE.
The tracklist for SMiLE as performed and released in 2004 is:
Movement 1 (seems to have an Americana theme) Our Prayer/Gee/Heroes & Villains/Roll Plymouth Rock/Barnyard/Old Master Painter /You Are My Sunshine/Cabinessence
Movement 2 (coming of age/childhood theme) Wonderful/Song for Children/Child Is Father Of The Man/Surf's Up
Movement 3 (elements theme possibly, although "earth" seems to be missing) I'm In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop/Vegetables/On A Holiday/Wind Chimes/Mrs. O'Leary's Cow/In Blue Hawaii/Good Vibrations)
During 2011, there were persistent rumours of an archival release of the original SMiLE recording sessions, and this was confirmed with "The SMiLE sessions" being released on November 1. It included a Beach Boys version of the complete album, with a similar track order to the 2004 released. This release probably brought a final closure to this fascinating episode of music history.

No, not really. A tape was made by engineer Steve Desper in late 1970 of some of the songs that the Beach Boys had completed but not released yet. As "Landlocked" was the working title for the "Surf's Up" album, some "experts" assumed that this tape was "Landlocked", another "great" lost album, although this was the intention at all, and the name "Landlocked" was simply a working title that was abandoned.

Many of the songs on the Steve Desper tape were released on subsequent albums, sometimes in altered form, and just about all of them have now been released in some form or other. A list of the songs and their subsequent fate follows.

Loop De Loop-released on 1998 compilation "Endless Harmony", slightly altered
Susie Cincinnati- released as a B-side in 1970 and on 15 Big Ones
San Miguel- released in 1981 on "10 Years Of Harmony" and later on Good Vibrations box set
H.E.L.P. Is On The Way - released on Good Vibrations box set
Take A Load Off Your Feet- released on "Surfs Up" album
Carnival -not yet released
I Just Got My Pay - released on Good Vibrations box set
Good Time- released on "Love You" album
Big Sur - somewhat different version released on "Holland"
Lady - released as Dennis Wilson single, released on CD on the 2009 Summer Love Songs compilation
When Girls Get Together - released on "Keepin' The Summer Alive
Lookin' At Tomorrow - released on "Surf's Up"
Til I Die- released on "Surf's Up."

Adult Child was a project that Brian was working with some of the other Beach Boys in the 1976/77 period, at the same time as the "Love You!" album was recorded. The original intention appears to have been to record a big-band style album, but only a few tracks on the projected album are of that style, and other titles on the projected line-up are retreads from previous sessions, or other styles of music. The projected line-up, and comments on their availability is listed below

Life Is For Living- Big band style, not yet released officially
Hey Little Tomboy- released on the MIU album
Deep Purple-Big band cover, unreleased
H.E.L.P. Is On The Way- also discussed above, released on Good Vibrations box set
It's Over Now-Big band style, released on Good Vibrations box set
Everybody Wants To Live-not officially released
Shortnin' Bread -released on LA Light album
Lines -not released officially, although a cover version by Douglas T Stewart appears on the Caroline Now tribute CD
On Broadway-cover version, unreleased
Games Two Can Play-recorded 1969, on Good Vibrations box set
It's Trying To Say -unreleased officially
Still I Dream Of It -released on Good Vibrations box set

Sweet Insanity was the title of the album that was intended to be Brian's second solo record to be released around 1990. It appears to have been completed, but was rejected by the record company. Three tracks from what was regarded as the final line-up for Sweet Insanity have been re-recorded for Brian's new album "Gettin' In Over My Head" (Rainbow Eyes, Make A Wish, Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel) while another two tracks from the Sweet Insanity sessions have been re-worked for the 2004 album (Fairy Tale, You've Touched Me). Darian Sahanaja, a member of the Wondermints, who have backed Brian Wilson in recent years, released "Do You Have Any Regrets?", a song from these sessions on a rare single.

Brian Wilson worked with producer and songwriter Andy Paley extensively in the 1994 - 1995 period. Quite a number of songs were worked on to what seems like a reasonable degree of completion. Some bootlegs of these sessions now exist, but there was no completed released as a result of the sessions. Some of the songs such as "Soul Searching" were also attempted by the Beach Boys.

Four tracks from Brian's studio album, "Gettin' In Over My Head" were attempted at these sessions ("Desert Drive", "Soul Searching", "Gettin' In Over My Head" and "Saturday Morning In The City") while "Where Has Love Been?" from the "Imagination" album may have also originated in these sessions. Another song from the sessions "This Song Wants To Sleep With You Tonight" was released as a B-side to the "Do It Again" single from the 1995 "I Just Wasn't Made From These Times" album. However, a number of songs from these sessions remain unreleased on authorised recordings.

The following table shows sample setlists for some of Brian's shows.

Brian Wilson
March 1999

Minneapolis, Minnesota

(Imagination Tour, one of Brian's first shows after returning to active touring)

The Little Girl I Once Knew
This Whole World
Don't Worry Baby
Kiss Me Baby
In My Room
Surfer Girl
California Girls
Do It Again
I Get Around
Let's Go Away For A While
Pet Sounds
South American
Surfin' U.S.A.
Back Home
Wouldn't it Be Nice
Sloop John B
This Could Be The Night
Lay Down Burden
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
Your Imagination
Help Me Rhonda
Be My Baby

[encore]

Love & Mercy
Caroline No
All Summer Long
Barbara Ann
Fun,Fun,Fun


Brian Wilson
February 2004

London, England

(first SMiLE show)

And Your Dreams Come True
In My Room
Hawaii
Please Let Me Wonder
Good Timin' (all songs up to here unplugged)
You're Welcome
Time To Get Alone
Sloop John B.
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Soul Searching
California Girls
Keep An Eye On Summer
Catch A Wave
Dance, Dance, Dance
Don't Worry Baby
The Night Was So Young
City Blues
Marcella
Sail On Sailor

Interval, then SMiLE Set:

SMiLE Part 1 (Our Prayer/Gee/Heroes & Villains /Roll Plymouth Rock/Barnyard/Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine/Cabinessence)
SMiLE Part 2 (Wonderful/Song For Children/Child Is Father Of The Man/Surf's Up)
SMiLE Part 3 (I'm In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop/ Vegetables/On A Holiday/Wind Chimes/Mrs. O'Leary's Cow /In Blue Hawaii/Good Vibrations

Encore 1:
Do It Again
I Get Around
Help Me, Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin' U.S.A.
Fun, Fun, Fun

Encore 2:
Love & Mercy

Brian Wilson
July 2008

Ontario, Canada

Do It Again
Dance, Dance, Dance
Catch A Wave
Hawaii
Surfer Girl
In My Room
Then I Kissed Her
All Summer Long
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
Add Some Music To Your Day
You're So Good To Me
Do You Wanna Dance?
California Girls
Sloop John B.
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Goin' Home
I Get Around
Good Vibrations
Johnny B. Goode
Help Me Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin' USA
Fun, Fun, Fun
Encore
Southern California

Some of this info has been taken from the setlists archive on Eric Anniversario's page which has other very useful setlist information.

Below is a setlist from the first of the reunion shows; there have been a number of setlist changes since the tour started. Also below are sample setlists from when Mike and Al were touring separately.

Beach Boys
April 2012

Tucson, Arizona

Do It Again
Catch a Wave
Don't Back Down
Surfin' Safari
Surfer Girl
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Wendy
Then I Kissed Her
This Whole World
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
You're So Good To Me
Cottonfields
Be True To Your School
Disney Girls
Please Let Me Wonder
Don't Worry Baby
Little Honda
Little Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
I Get Around

Intermission:
Sloop John B
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Forever
Sail On Sailor
Heroes and Villains
In My Room
All This Is That
God Only Knows
That's Why God Made the Radio
California Dreamin'
California Girls
Dance, Dance, Dance
All Summer Long
Help Me, Rhonda
Rock and Roll Music
Do You Wanna Dance?
Barbara Ann
Surfin' U.S.A.

Encore:
Kokomo
Good Vibrations
Fun, Fun, Fun

Al Jardine's Family & Friends Beach Band
December 1998

Los Angeles, California

I Can Hear Music (Carnie Wilson, Brian's daughter)
Do It Again (Matt Jardine, Al's son)
Darlin' (Carnie)
Come Go With Me (Al)
I Get Around (Matt)
Girl Don't Tell Me (Adam Jardine, Al's son, with Carnie introducing)
Surfer Girl (Group/Al)
Don't Worry Baby (Wendy Wilson, Brian's daughter& Matt take turns on verses)
Monday, Monday (Al)
In My Room (Group)
God Only Knows (Wendy & Carnie, 1st & 3rd vs, Al & Matt 2nd)
Sloop John B (Al)
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Matt)
Good Vibrations (Matt)
Help Me Rhonda (Al)
Little Saint Nick (Al)


Beach Boys
(Mike Love and Bruce Johnston)
June 2004

San Diego, California

California Girls
Do It Again
Surfin' Safari
Catch A Wave
Hawaii
Dance Dance Dance
Do You Wanna Dance
Little Honda
Surfer Girl
Don't Worry Baby
You're So Good To Me
Darlin'
Duke Of Earl
Come Go With Me
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Little Deuce Coupe
409
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
Shut Down
I Get Around
In My Room
California Dreaming
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
Sloop John B.
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Rock & Roll Music
All Summer Long
Help Me Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surf City
Surfin' USA

Encore:
Kokomo
Summertime Blues
Fun Fun Fun

Some of this info has been taken from the setlists archive on Eric Anniversario's page which has other very useful setlist information.

The current band includes many of the musicians who were touring with Brian Wilson's solo shows. This includes all the members of the Wondermints (Nick Walusko, Mike D'Amico, Darian Sahanaja and Probyn Gregory). Other musicians on the current tour are Jeff Foskett, Scott Totten, Scott Bennett, Paul von Mertens, Nelson Bragg and John Cowsill.

The Beach Boys Fan Club and the California Saga sites generally cover all the current tour dates at http://www.beachboysfanclub.com and http://www.californiasaga.com, respectively.

The earliest Beach Boys music included instrumentation from the group itself, but in the 1963 - 1967 period, Brian relied on some of the best session musicians in California, sometimes known as the Wrecking Crew, for many of the Beach Boys tracks, although the group still played on many songs from that period. Some of the common session musicians used in that period were

Drums: Hal Blaine
Horns: Steve Douglas, Jay Migliori, Roy Caton, Lou Blackburn
Guitars: Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, Jerry Cole, Barney Kessel, Billy Strange
Bass: Ray Pohlman, Carole Kaye, Lyle Ritz, Julius Wechter, Bill Pitman
Harmonica: Tommy Morgan
Accordian: Carl Fortina, Frank Marocco
Piano: Leon Russel, Al De Lory, Don Randi
Percussion: Gene Estes, Frank Capp, Jim Gordon
Strings: The Sid Sharpe Strings
Brian did some keyboards himself and Carl some guitar parts.

From 1967 to 1971, when much of the recording was done in Brian's home studio, much of the instrumentation was done by the Beach Boys with a much reduced group of outside musicians. Subsequent albums had many different musicians on them, with varying amounts of involvement by the Beach Boys. "That's Why God Made The Radio" featured musicians from the 50th anniversary touring band, including many of the musicians who backed Brian's solo shows.

In 1994, Mike won the lawsuit over the issue whether Mike deserved songwriting credits and royalties on several songs from which his name had been omitted. The jury awarded Mike six million dollars and songwriting credits on the following songs:

All Summer Long; Amusement Park USA; Be True To Your School; California Girls; Catch A Wave; Chug-A-Lug; Custom Machine; Dance, Dance, Dance; Do You Remember; Don't Back Down; Don't Hurt My Little Sister; Drive In; Farmer's Daughter; Finder's Keepers; 409; Good To My Baby; Hawaii; Help Me Rhonda; I Get Around; I Know There's An Answer; In The Back Of My Mind; Kiss Me Baby; Let Him Run Wild; Little Saint Nick; Merry Christmas Baby; Salt Lake City; Santa's Beard; She Knows Me Too Well; The Girl From New York City; The Man With All The Toys; The Noble Surfer; Wendy; When I Grow Up; Wouldn't It Be Nice; You're So Good To Me.

In 2005, Mike sued Brian for "shamelessly misappropriating Mike Love's songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark" during the promotion of Brian's "SMiLE" album. He claimed that the album undercut sales of Beach Boys albums, and the particular issue was a free album of Brian Wilson material given out with a UK Sunday paper. This lawsuit was dismissed.

Manson lived with Dennis before the murders for about six months. He saw himself as a would-be singer-songwriter. He recorded several songs in Brian's home studio and met several times with Terry Melcher (Doris Day's son) but was unable to secure a contract.

Fan Clubs:

Break Away With Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson Fan Club
15030 Ventura Blvd.
1 - 710
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
e-mail:

bw@celebritymerch.com

For information about the Beach Boys Fan Club, write to club president Alice Lillie at: Aliceprez@aol.com or go to the club website at http://www.beachboysfanclub.com

Beach Boys Britain
3 Mill Grove
Lutterworth
Leicestershire
LE17 4BS
Website - http://www.angelfire.com/la/Beachboysbritain
e-mail bbbritv@dialstart.net fax (+44) 01455 559433

Beach Boys Stomp
c/o Michael Grant
22 Avondale Road
Wealdstone
Middlesex HA3 7RE England

Beach Boys Australia
P.O. Box 106
North Stratfield 2137, AUSTRALIA

There are also currently individual clubs for Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and Bruce Johnston.

Fan 'Zines:

Break Away with Brian Wilson: See above

Open Sky Magazine
To Order:
$6.00 includes s&h; in U.S.
$8.50 outside U.S.
Send U.S. funds to Open Sky, 28 Wilson Road, Lambertville, NJ 08530
Email address: mosky@aosi.com

Endless Summer Quarterly
Please write to: esqeditor@aol.com . All Break Away subscribers who sign up for ESQ receive $2.00 off their subscription.

Casilla Postal 19996
Montevideo, Uruguay
40 Uruguayan pesos or $10 (U.S. funds)/year.
(A Spanish-language BB/BW club and fanzine.)

Beach Boys Italian Fan Club
Fan, Fan, Fan Magazine (in Italian for now)
Sent by e-mail to the subscribers of the fan club.
Subscribing is FREE, just to fill a form.
The URL of this Italian Fan Club is : http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/2436/home.html
Or the english version at :http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/2436/home_e.htm

The most commonly discussed books are:
Surf's Up: The BBs on Record, 1961-1981- Brad Elliott 1982
Heroes & Villains, Steven Gaines 1987
Wouldn't It Be Nice, Todd Gold/Brian Wilson 1991
The Wilson Project, Stephen McPartland 1991
The Beach Boys: The Authorized Biography- Byron Preiss 1979
Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile!- Domenic Priore 1995
The Beach Boys and the California Myth- David Leaf 1985
The Nearest Faraway Place- Timothy White 1994
In Their Own Words: The Beach Boys, Nick Wise Back To The Beach - A Brian Wilson & Beach Boys Reader - ed. Kinglsey Abbott 1997
The Complete Guide To The Music Of The Beach Boys - Andrew Doe & John Tobler 1997 (revised 2004)
How Deep Is The Ocean - Paul Williams 1997
The Real Beach Boy: Dennis Wilson -Jon Stebbins 2000
Dumb Angel: the life and music of Dennis Wilson- Adam Webb 2001
The Beach Boys (Rock and Roll Hall of Famers)- Mark Holcolmb 2003
Back To The Beach: a Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys Reader -Edited by Kingsley Abbott 1998
Add Some Music To Your Day: Analyzing and Enjoying the Music of The Beach Boys -Edited by Don Cunningham and Jeff Bleiel 1999
SMiLE, Sun, Sand & Pet Sounds -Compiled by Stephen J. McParland 1999
The Beach Boys Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century -Kinglsey Abbott 2001
In The Studio with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys: our favorite recording sessions: a look at various recording sessions by The Beach Boys, 1961 - 1970 (2001 Updated Edition) -Researched and Compiled by Stephen J. McParland 2001

Other books dealing with the Beach Boys are:
The Beach Boys- Dean Anthony
The Beach Boys: A Bio in Words & Pictures- Ken Barnes
The Beach Boys - The Early Years- Alan Clark
The Beach Boys: A California Pastoral- Bruce Golden
The Beach Boys Silver Anniversary- John Milward, 1985
The Dumb Angel Gazette- Domenic Priore, 1990
The Beach Boys- John Tobler
The Dark Stuff - Nick Kent 1996
Denny Remembered: DW in Words and Pictures- Ed Wincentsen, 1991

BOOKS (with chapters about the BB/BW)
Rock Wives- Victoria Balfour
Hal Blaine & the Wrecking Crew- Hal Blaine
Outlaw Blues- Paul Williams
Glimpses- Lewis Shiner

Most of these books are reviewed on Bret Wheadon's site, beachboys.com

It's called "Forever" and that version appears on the Beach Boys album "Summer in Paradise." The song was written by Dennis Wilson with Greg Jacobson, and many fans will tell you that the far superior version is the original one sung by Dennis on the "Sunflower" album (and also available on the "Good Vibrations:30 Years of the Beach Boys" box set).

Brian Wilson was very reclusive for parts of life, due to the effects drug use and mental problems. In particular, he spent a lot of the 1973-1975 period in his room. The Barenaked Ladies song is a tribute, though, they acknowledge Brian as a modern-day genius. Brian actually performed an excerpt of the song at his April 2000 concerts at the Roxy Theatre.

Many acts have acknowledged a musical debt to Brian Wilson/Beach Boys or have been clearly influenced by them. In no particular order, these acts include: Beatles (through Paul), Sean Lennon, Fleetwood Mac (mainly Lindsey Buckingham), ABBA, Jesus And Mary Chain, Moody Blues, ELO, Hollies, Stevie Wonder, Bee Gees, Barenaked Ladies, Garbage, Everclear, High Llamas, Velvet Crush, Mercury Rev, Elvis Costello, Thurston Moore, REM, XTC, Sonic Youth, Sugar Ray, Tom Petty, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Elton John, Saint Etienne, Stereolab, Smashing Pumpkins, Daft Punk, Avalanches, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Explorers Club, Foster The People.

Brian Wilson received his first Grammy in a nominated category at the 2005 awards for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" from SMiLE. It could be seen as slightly ironic that the master of vocal harmony received his first award in an instrumental category but many were relieved that he finally received this honor. The Beach Boys had never won in a nominated category until 2013, but did receive a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2001. Finally, in 2013, the group won a Grammy for the "SMiLE session" as best archival release.

There have been a number of unsuccesful nominations for Brian and the Beach Boys, including Good Vibrations in 1967, the Pet Sounds box set in 1999 and SMiLE in 2005 and 2006. In addition, Brian was nominated as MusiCares person of the year in 2005, and a special tribute was done for him before the Grammy in that year. Finally, Bruce Johnston has received a Grammy for "I Write The Songs."

Dr. Eugene Landy was a psychologist who is credited with helping Brian Wilson in the 70s and 80s through some of his most difficult periods of drug addiction and mental turmoil. However it is generally felt that he became too controlling of Brian, and used unethical practises to achieve this control. In 1991, Dr. Landy was prevented from further association with Brian. Landy passed away in 2006.

The proposed Dennis Wilson movie, with a working title of "The Drummer" seems to be cancelled, but filming has started on a Brian Wilson biopic called "Love And Mercy." The movie will be directed by Bill Pohlad, and will star Elizabeth Banks, John Cusack and Paul Dano.

In late 1995. It was one of the earlier fan sites for Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Much of the site was developed in late 1995 and the first half of 1996.

No. The owners and those involved in updating and adminstering this site have no official connections to Brian Wilson at all. This is simply a fan site. We hope that this site will be one of the ways in which Brian will get the recognition he deserves.

Mike Wheeler set up much of the early content of the site, and many of the original scripts which the site uses. Susan Lang and Andrew Gladwin are the people currently involved in maintaining and developing the site. A lot of the information on the site was submitted by fans from all over the world, and they are credited in the appropriate sections.

We would like to encourage people to contribute to the on-going development and maintenance of this site as a prime Brian Wilson resource. There are some sections that do need constant updating, and new material is always welcome. If you are interested, please e-mail us atcabinessencequestions@hotmail.com

The webboard is a means for fans of Brian Wilson to communicate with each other, learn and discuss issues. We encourage newcomers to participate. A number of acknowledged experts on Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys do post on the webboard regularly, as well as people who have had close connections to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. You need to register for the webboard, if you wish to post on it.

The overall guideline for posting on the webboard is that people should be allowed to freely express their opinions, but with this freedom, one also has some responsibilities. These responsibilities include

respect for other posters: This is the critical issue. Brian Wilson fans come from a wide variety of backgrounds and can even have very different musical tastes. People must be able to discuss their differences, however there is never a need to attack another poster personally.
respect for Brian Wilson: This is a Brian Wilson fan site. Posters may like very different aspects of Brian's music, but people who dislike Brian as a musician or a person are not likely to enjoy posting to this webboard. The website is meant to a tribute to Brian, and something he would enjoy if he ever did look at it.
a little bit of knowledge: As mentioned above, we do encourage new fans to post. The only request we have for these fans is that they do take the trouble to pick up some basic facts. One read through this FAQ should be sufficient.
no offensive posts: This website is not R18, and posters should be aware of the overall audience of the site. This doesn't mean avoiding issues such as sex altogether, it simply means that there is no place for sexually explicit posts. Racially offensive posting is also not appropriate. We feel most posters have a good judgement of what would be appropriate, and what wouldn't be.
The administrators of the webboard will delete any post where we feel the freedom of speech has been abused. If you are unhappy about a deletion, e-mail us at cabinessence23@hotmail.com, rather than clog the board up with a big discussion about the deletion.

The chat opened in April 1996 as a place for Brian Wilson fans to meet on-line and chat about Brian and the Beach Boys. Mike Wheeler wrote the original script, and it has developed into one of the best web-based chat scripts available. Over time, a number of great friendships have been made using the chat.

Not everyone using the chat is a big Brian Wilson/Beach Boys fan and users of the chat should respect that. However we would like to see more fans using the chat. There is a specific room for Brian Wilson discussion (you enter the chat in the "lobby" which is a general meeting place.)

In general, the same principles apply to users of the chat than to posts on the webboard. However, you can also use the "ignore" function on the chat to avoid getting any posts from someone who you find offensive, or simply don't want to chat to. There is full documentation on how to use the chat which can be accessed using the "help" function.

If you have a question about the site i.e. missing links, factual errors, suggestions, e-mail us at cabinessencequestions@hotmail.com. If you have a question about the Beach Boys or Brian Wilson, I suggest asking it on the message board to get the collective wisdom of many fans. You are also welcome to e-mail the site admins atcabinessencequestions@hotmail.com. However, please do not ask us how to get hold of a bootleg!

Indeed we are. Our Facebook is presence is at http://www.facebook.com/cabinwebpage and Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/surfermoon.