Extra Scenes: The Former Beach Boys/Passions (Post-1973)

The Beach Boys, 1966.

With the underwhelming performance of the Passions' fourth album Holland, the band members had gone their separate ways by the end of 1973. Dennis Wilson had found a new calling as a music producer for Highway 61 Records, as well as joint A&R director with ex-Badfinger member Pete Ham. Like his older brother, Carl continued being part of the music industry, mostly providing backing vocals for the likes of Elton John and various other soft rock bands, as well as doing the odd solo project. Carl remained active until his death from lung cancer on February 6, 1998, at the age of 51.

Similarly, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston continued onward with music careers in their own way; Love's solo career had its own ups and downs, such as his 1988 hit single "Kokomo", before finally bottoming out with his 1992 solo album, Summer of Love[1]. It would be another twenty-five years before he went back into the studio again.

On the other hand, Bruce Johnston's career was less eventful, ending up mostly as a songwriter for other artists, sometimes even working with the likes of James Taylor. But what about Al Jardine? Well, he was mostly retired from the music industry, deciding instead to take up farming, even becoming an advocate for vegetarianism. Every once in a while, he reunited with the other ex-Beach Boys either for a charity performance or for small reunion tours with guest musicians playing in lieu of Brian Wilson. Although there were talks of a reunion album either as the Beach Boys or the Passions, they never came to fruition.

One can only debate what could've happened had Brian Wilson lived...

Footnotes

1. OTL's Summer in Paradise, regarded by many as the worst Beach Boys album.

Author's Comments

This is perhaps the shortest post I've made for the story thus far, so there's not really a lot to talk about here. It was doing that Beach Boys 1967-1973 discography that made me realize I'd made a horrible misjudgment in killing off Brian Wilson too soon. But alas, I can't really go back and make changes. I've always intended for this to be a first draft of sorts, so when I get to a second draft, most likely when I finish up Phase Three, I can iron out the kinks, weed out the really awkward bits and even expand upon some elements that I didn't in the first draft. Although I planned to bring up to the end of the 1980s, I might stop the first draft at Live Aid because - let's face it - if Bohemian Rhapsody was anything to go by, it just feels like a real finale. And maybe an epilogue chapter if I feel like it.

The main point of divergence was the Rolling Stones putting out Could You Walk on the Water like they originally planned, which ends up disrupting the Beatles' career later on down the road and, by extension, affects the rest of the world (and not just in the music industry). Think of it akin to the point of divergence in Blue Skies in Camelot in which Marilyn Monroe surviving past 1962 does not directly service the intended narrative and the main butterfly, John Kennedy surviving the Dallas ambush in 1963; for the narrative to make sense, both points of divergence need to happen. (For the second draft of Strawberry Peppers, it's the Rolling Stones releasing Could You Walk on the Water, and, something that will happen for the second draft, George Harrison's songwriting being taken more seriously by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, preventing the eventual breakup of the Beatles.)

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Before that, I've got a few more Extra Scenes to put out before moving onto Phase Three, beginning in 1977.

Alternate Peppers: The Beach Boys Discography, 1967-1973

What would've happened with the Beach Boys had Brian Wilson not lost his mind (and got psychiatric help before things got worse) and continued living past 1967, right up to the present day?

Smile (September 1967)
Side A (20:11)
1. Our Prayer - 1:05 (The Smile Sessions)
2. Heroes and Villains - 4:52 (The Smile Sessions)
3. Do You Like Worms - 3:35 (The Smile Sessions)
4. I'm in Great Shape/Barnyard - 1:16 (The Smile Sessions)
5. Vega-Tables - 3:49 (The Smile Sessions)
6. Wonderful - 2:04 (The Smile Sessions)
7. Cabin Essence - 3:30 (The Smile Sessions)

Side B (18:46)
8. Good Vibrations - 3:37 (Smiley Smile)
9. Child is the Father of the Man - 2:10 (The Smile Sessions)
10. The Old Master Painter - 1:55 (The Smile Sessions)
11. Wind Chimes - 3:06 (The Smile Sessions)
12. The Elements - 2:35 (The Smile Sessions)
13. Surf's Up - 4:12 (The Smile Sessions)
14. You're Welcome - 1:11 (Smiley Smile/Wild Honey 2001 reissue - secret track)

Sensing that their oldest brother's mental problems were coming into the forefront, Dennis and Carl stage an intervention for Brian so he could get psychiatric help. Like in the Strawberry Peppers story, Norman Smith is called in to help with the final production for a September release. Although Brian Wilson didn't think highly of Smith's contribution to Smile at the time, he was at least thankful that the album was released at all, later admitting that, "things could've been worse had he not come in at the eleventh hour." (2004) Smile also marked the first time that a secret track had been included at the end, with fifteen seconds of silence following "Surf's Up", leading into "You're Welcome".

Friends (June 1968)
Side A (17:03)
1. Meant for You - 0:38 (Friends)
2. Friends - 2:32 (Friends)
3. Aren't You Glad - 2:16 (Wild Honey)
4. Fall Breaks and Back to Winter - 2:15 (Smiley Smile)
5. With Me Tonight - 2:17 (Smiley Smile)
6. I Was Made to Love Her - 2:05 (Wild Honey)
7. Country Air - 2:20 (Wild Honey)
8. A Thing or Two - 2:40 (Wild Honey)

Side B (17:44)
9. Wild Honey - 2:37 (Wild Honey)
10. Be Here in the Mornin' - 2:17 (Friends)
11. Gettin' Hungry - 2:27 (Smiley Smile)
12. Let the Wind Blow - 2:19 (Wild Honey)
13. Little Pad - 2:30 (Smiley Smile)
14. Can't Wait Too Long - 5:34 (Smiley Smile/Wild Honey 2001 reissue)

Side C (16:45)
15. Anna Lee, the Healer - 1:51 (Friends)
16. Darlin' - 2:12 (Wild Honey)
17. Wake the World - 1:29 (Friends)
18. I'd Love Just Once to See You - 1:48 (Wild Honey)
19. Busy Doin' Nothin' - 3:05 (Friends)
20. Their Hearts Were Full of Spring - 2:33 (Smiley Smile/Wild Honey 2001 reissue)
21. How She Boogalooed It - 1:56 (Wild Honey)
22. Transcendental Meditation - 1:51 (Friends)

Side D (17:36)
23. Whistle In - 1:04 (Smiley Smile)
24. Little Bird - 2:02 (Friends)
25. Here Comes the Night - 2:41 (Wild Honey)
26. Be Still - 1:24 (Friends)
27. She's Goin' Bald - 2:15 (Smiley Smile)
28. When a Man Needs a Woman - 2:07 (Friends)
29. Passing By - 2:24 (Friends)

30. Diamond Head - 3:39 (Friends)

The official Wild Honey is 24 minutes long with two sides at about surprisingly equal length - you could practically fill an entire album side with all eleven tracks - but that's too short for my liking, even for 1967. Similarly, Friends is also pretty short, running at about 25 minutes, so what I did here was combine both Wild Honey and Friends, as well as taking in the leftover tracks from Smiley Smile and three bonus tracks from the 2001 remaster of said album and Wild Honey, to form a double album.

20/20 (February 1969)
Side A (15:42)
1. Do It Again - 2:25
2. I Can Hear Music - 2:37
3. Bluebirds over the Mountain - 2:51
4. Be With Me - 3:08
5. All I Want to Do - 2:02
6. The Nearest Faraway Place - 2:39

Side B (14:44)
7. Cotton Fields - 2:21
8. Walk On By - 0:55 (2001 bonus track)
9. I Went to Sleep - 1:36
10. Old Folks at Home/Ol' Man River - 2:52 (2001 bonus track)
11. Time to Get Alone - 2:40
12. Never Learn Not to Love - 2:31
13. We're Together Again - 1:49 (2001 bonus track)

Having already included "Our Prayer" and "Cabin Essence" on Smile, that left a huge void to fill on side B. Luckily, the 2001 reissue contained enough bonus tracks fill that gap, extending the runtime to around 30 minutes.

Reverberation (July 1970)
Side A (16:20)
1. It's About Time - 2:55 (Sunflower)
2. Loop de Loop - 2:56 (Endless Harmony Soundtrack)
3. All I Wanna Do (Burning Brightly) - 2:34 (Sunflower)
4. Got to Know the Woman - 2:41 (Sunflower)
5. Slip on Through - 2:17 (Sunflower)
6. Break Away - 2:57 (20/20, 2001 bonus track)

Side B (17:32)
7. San Miguel - 2:25 (Ten Years of Harmony)
8. H.E.L.P. is on the Way - 2:30 (Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys)
9. Celebrate the News - 3:05 (20/20, 2001 bonus track)
10. Deirdre - 3:27 (Sunflower)
11. Soulful Old Man Sunshine - 3:25 (Endless Harmony Soundtrack)
12. Forever - 2:40 (Sunflower)

This is essentially what the Beach Boys were intending to put out on Capitol in 1970 before it was revised to become Sunflower. "All I Wanna Do" has the added caption of "Burning Brightly" to distinguish it from "All I Want to Do", also from 20/20. "It's About Time" becomes the album opener instead of "Cotton Fields", already featured on 20/20, "Slip on Through" is used instead of "When Girls Get Together", which is featured on the next album, and "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" replaces "The Lord's Prayer". "H.E.L.P. is on the Way" is an addition so the album runs at almost 34 minutes.

Add Some Music (October 1970)

Side A (16:50)

1. Susie Cincinnati - 2:57 (15 Big Ones)

2. Good Time - 2:50 (The Beach Boys Love You)

3. Our Sweet Love - 2:38 (Sunflower)

4. Tears in the Morning - 4:07 (Sunflower)

5. This Whole World - 1:56 (Sunflower)

6. Back Home - 2:22 (15 Big Ones)

Side B (17:27)

7. Add Some Music To Your Day - 3:34 (Sunflower)

8. Take a Load Off Your Feet - 2:29 (Surf's Up)

9. When Girls Get Together - 3:31 (Keepin' the Summer Alive)

10. I Just Got My Pay - 2:20 (Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys)

11. At My Window - 2:30 (Sunflower)

12. Fallin' in Love - 3:03 (Summer Love Songs)

Before Sunflower, the Beach Boys were intending to put out an album called Add Some Music. The track listing was rejected by the executives, and so they revised the album many times over before finally putting it out as Sunflower. The track listing above is the same as what was intended, except for "This Whole World" replacing "Slip on Through", already featured on Reverberation, and "When Girls Get Together" taking place of the former so both sides ran at roughly equal length.

Landlocked (August 1971)
Side A (16:58)
1. Don't Go Near The Water - 2:39 (Surf's Up)

2. Long Promised Road - 3:30 (Surf's Up)

3. Disney Girls - 4:07 (Surf's Up)

4. Fourth of July - 2:44 (Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys)

5. Student Demonstration Time - 3:58 (Surf's Up)

Side B (16:58)

6. Feel Flows - 4:44 (Surf's Up)

7. Lookin' at Tomorrow - 1:55 (Surf's Up)

8. A Day in the Life of a Tree - 3:07 (Surf's Up)

9. 'Till I Die - 2:31 (Surf's Up)

10. (Wouldn't It Be Nice) To Live Again - 4:41 (Made in California)

With "Take a Load Off Your Feet" and "Surf's Up" moved onto previous albums, both gaps needed to be filled. Luckily, the two outtakes featured were just enough to give the album at least ten tracks total.

What happens next?
After that, that's where things get a bit complicated. I considered adding in So Tough and Holland, but I figured that they'd practically be unchanged from how they were in OTL. Either that, or the Beach Boys break up following Landlocked due to creative differences. I guess that when Bruce Johnston left prior to the sessions for So Tough, things hadn't been the same for them since.

Which brings me onto the question; had Brian Wilson gotten medical help, therefore preventing his death, and the Beach Boys continued for a few more years, what would the members be doing when they broke up? I've already decided upon Dennis' fate as producer and A&R director for Highway 61 Records, but Brian? I figure he would've ended up being a producer for Apple and EMI Records, and releasing the occasional solo album like he did in OTL. But what about the rest?

Starting with the youngest Wilson brother, Carl, he could end up doing backing vocals for other artists such as Elton John and various other soft rock bands, not dissimilar to Kenny Loggins or Michael McDonald. Maybe alongside the odd solo project here and there, Carl could perform together with Brian and Dennis as The Wilson Brothers and do a few albums for the latter half of the 1970s up to the mid 1980s. Sadly, Carl will still die of lung cancer on February 6, 1998. Again, I'd still have Dennis survive into the 21st century so at least one other brother survives.

Mike Love and Bruce Johnston would still be involved with music in their own ways; the former would have a solo career filled with ups and downs (especially with a Summer in Paradise equivalent), and the latter could end up being a songwriter for other artists, not dissimilar to Carole King and Gerry Goffin's partnership in the 1960s.

As for Al Jardine? Well, he'd mostly retire from the music industry, taking up duties as a farmer. Every once in a while, he returns to the public eye like partaking in Love You, a 1977 Brian Wilson solo project, alongside Mike, Carl and Dennis, becoming Brian's equivalent to Ringo Starr's eponymous album from 1973. There would've been many attempts from 1973 onward to have a Beach Boys reunion album, but that dream would be put to a tragic end with Mike Love unexpectedly dying from the Spanish flu and not getting it treated in time in 1981, just before his first solo album could be released. This would be further affirmed with Carl's own death in 1998.

Credit goes to Jiggy22 for the album covers for Reverberation, Add Some Music and Landlocked.