Two Beach Boys Surfing Songs Together Again
With their long-running legal matters resolved, Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Mike Love have reunited to work on new material.
The reunion could lead to the first Beach Boys album of new material featuring Wilson in nearly 15 years.
On Feb. 27-28, the duo met at Mike Love’s home overlooking Lake Tahoe to work on two new songs. On March 3, Wilson and Love were holed up in a Malibu hotel speaking about their reunion, prior to entering a Glendale, Calif., studio that evening to cut demos of two untitled tracks.
At the sessions, the duo were joined by Beach Boy Carl Wilson, on backing vocals and guitar, and several studio musicians.
One of the two tracks will be submitted for the closing credits of the “Baywatch” spinoff, tentatively titled “Baywatch Nights.” A second song was planned as a possible title song for a film called “Grace of My Heart.”
Meanwhile, Capitol Records is to pay tribute to the group’s glory days with “20 Good Vibrations - The Greatest Hits,” due out April 4.
While the Wilson-Love reunion is still in the early stages, both sound enthused about the possibilities.
On March 3, a TV crew from “Entertainment Tonight” taped the duo at the piano of a Malibu restaurant appropriately performing the 1968 hit “Do It Again,” but after the lights and cameras were turned off, Wilson, with Love looking over his shoulder, continued to work at the piano on one of the new songs.
“I can’t wait to do this vocal,” Wilson said to Love. “It’s going to be so good.”
Both are excited about their new collaboration. Love says that after he mentioned the possibility of a track for the new “Baywatch” series, Wilson sat down at the piano and went to work.
Of the track, Love says, “I couldn’t believe how reminiscent it was of the earlier days. It has a lot of the classic elements of a Beach Boys hit.
“It has a combination of the surf guitar feel to it, along with the a cappella intro. It’s a cross between ‘Do It Again’ and ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.”’
Adds Wilson: “Michael has always been one of my idols. It took him to get a little of the energy going and get some of the creative aspects going.”
Yet, Wilson says he has mixed feelings about “20 Good Vibrations” and the possible release of the boxed set “The Smile Era.”
“Record companies like Capitol get off on putting out those ‘best of’ compilation albums,” says Wilson. “Not only do they make money, but they are proud of us. They are proud to have once been our record company. From that aspect it is good, but it’s not so good to me to put out ‘I Get Around’ or ‘Help Me, Rhonda.’ Some of the Beach Boys stuff we did I hate. Back then, when I was 24, it was fine, but now we’re early 50s guys. Some days I look back and really wish I would have taken the time and cut the track a little slower and watched for sharps and flats and singers, but I wanted to get out of there.”
Love says his partner is being too hard on himself: “Everyone else thinks the songs are great, but he’s Mr. Critical.”
Wilson is also open to possibly performing live with the Beach Boys. The group is tentatively scheduled to perform in Atlantic City, N.J., April 5-9; Las Vegas, Nev., April 28-29; and San Diego, May 5-7.