Goodnight, Ladies

I haven't been around in a while. Sorry.

I'm not really sure what to post lately. However, this is as good a time as any.

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The loss of Lou Reed was a really big shock to me. He was one of the untouchables, one of the few who weren't allowed to die.

But, he did. Still something tough for me to swallow. I sort of just have to forget that it happened.

I've never had to deal with the death of someone who has touched me so deeply.

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Warning: this post is probably gonna go nowhere

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The Velvet Underground is a band that I've listened to countless times. They have undeniably changed  me and opened up my musical sensibilities to an entirely new area. Their first album I listened to, White Light/White Heat, was this magical, dirty, dingy world I had never stepped into before. The album was unflinching and uncompromising, it was an all out aural attack upon the listener. And it was so good.

For about a year or two, I listened to The Velvet Underground endlessly. I actually made a friend hate the band without ever listening to them, just because I talked about them so much.

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Anyway....

So, coming to terms with the fact that this person is gone so simply is something that troubles me.

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Here's some solo demos.
Fall 1970 Demos

The Love You Demos

Brian with Harry Nilsson and Van Dyke Parks c. 1974

Brian Wilson had spent a lot of time at home.

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Perhaps the last example of Brian being at a creative peak and leading the band, Love You is quite the odd album. It is very polarizing amongst Beach Boys fans, some people think the album is awful, while others think it's great. Count Peter Buck and I in on the latter.

Before starting the recording, Brian sat down at a piano and demoed his newly written songs for the rest of the band. Which, looking back, was quite brave, considering the material. Brian seemed to realize this, and it resulted in a lot of fumbling on the piano, which only adds to the charm.

The band seemed pretty cold during the demos, but, towards the end, you can start to hear the ice thawing. Mike, who wasn't always the most adventurous Beach Boy, seemed to really come around and began to encourage Brian.

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These demos float around in various bootlegs, but I'm here to give them to you as they happened. Thanks to a certain Beach Boys scholar (Andrew G. Doe,) I have the order in which the songs were played.

1. It's Over Now

2. They're Marching Along (Little Children)

3. Still I Dream of It

4. Love is a Woman

5. Mona

6. Airplane

7. Let's Put Our Hearts Together

8. I'll Bet He's Nice

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Here's "I'll Bet He's Nice:"

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Download it here.