Andy Paley sessions

The "Andy Paley sessions" is the name given to an unfinished recording project by American musicians Brian Wilson and Andy Paley from the 1990s. They intended to record a studio album comprising original material written and produced by the duo with participation from Wilson's group the Beach Boys. It was the last time Brian worked with the band before the death of his brother and bandmate Carl Wilson in 1998. Paley previously worked with Brian as a co-producer and co-writer for the albums "Brian Wilson" (1988) and "Sweet Insanity" (unreleased).
In February 1992, California courts issued a restraining order on Wilson's therapist Eugene Landy. The next day, Wilson phoned Paley explaining that they were now free to produce whatever they wanted. Without an album or recording contract in mind, the two proceeded to write and record several dozen songs that reflected Wilson's artistic sensibilities more than any work since "The Beach Boys Love You" (1977). In the meantime, he completed two solo albums for 1995: "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" with Don Was and "Orange Crate Art" with Van Dyke Parks. He was also subject to much legal wrangling with bandmate Mike Love for songwriting credits and back royalties, which was resolved in December 1994.
Many personal and legal conflicts prevented the album from being completed. Contemporary reports stated that Wilson was influenced by his wife and advisors to abandon the Paley recordings in favor of more commercial adult contemporary projects with River North Records owner Joe Thomas. Few of the Paley sessions' recordings have seen official release since then, though many tracks circulate on bootlegs.
Background.
Andy Paley first met Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in the late 1970s. His first major project with Wilson was the album "Brian Wilson" (1988), which Paley later called "a pretty good record ... [but] there were too many cooks and Brian wasn't really calling the shots." Some songs from the album drew from close to 170 rough tape demos kept in briefcases next to Wilson's piano. Paley said: "There's great stuff, but there are also what I call 'hamburger songs'. A lot of those are real junk" (referring to songs Brian composed in exchange for hamburgers from his brother Dennis). After they worked on the material for several months, additional producers and songwriters were called in for Wilson. The duo reteamed for the recording of "Sweet Insanity", which Paley called "even less real Brian than the first one". It was left unreleased.
In February 1992, on the day after California courts issued a restraining order on therapist Eugene Landy from contacting Wilson, Wilson phoned Paley to work on an assortment of recordings destined for a potential album which could have featured some involvement with the Beach Boys. Paley remembered that Wilson would speak of each song's vocal arrangement in terms of which parts the Beach Boys would sing. Wilson called it "some of the best material I've done in a real long time", adding that he is "baffled" why "Smile" (whose recordings were still largely unreleased) continued to attract attention, saying: "Things are so different now. The new material just kicks the shit out of "Smile"."
Sessions coincided with the recording of "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" (1995) and the Brian Wilson–Van Dyke Parks collaboration "Orange Crate Art" (1995) in addition to his brief writing collaboration with power pop band Jellyfish. The band's co-founder Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. told "Rocky Mountain News" in 1993: "Brian's an amazing guy and still has a lot of musical ideas. Him being one of my musical heroes, it was amazing to sit in a room with him and at a piano and write for a few days. People ask me what he's like, and I've said he's like a really powerful computer with a really bad printer."
After Beach Boy Mike Love successfully sued Wilson for songwriting credits – which resulted in Wilson losing $5 million – Wilson told "MOJO" in February 1995: "Mike and I are just cool. There's a lot of shit Andy and I got written for him. I just had to get through that goddamn trial!" Two weeks after the trial, Love invited Wilson to his home in Lake Tahoe for a "serious" songwriting session, in which they wrote one song tentatively slated for the television show "Baywatch Nights". Wilson said in March 1995: "I'm trying to get used to our new thing, and I think I will. It's so hard, you know. I feel like I'm on the spot, and I don't like that feeling." Next month in April, it was unclear whether the project would turn into a Wilson solo album, a Beach Boys album, or a combination of the two. Paley told "Billboard": "We've got 30 things in various stages of development. Sometimes Brian says 'Yeah, let's put the Beach Boys' voices on this,' and other times he's not so into it, so I don't know how it's going to work out."
On Wilson's birthday in June 1995, Paley brought Wilson to Ocean Way Recording to visit a Phil Spector session, another contemporary who was making a tentative comeback. Wilson was reportedly "overwhelmed". In August 1995, Wilson announced he had "40 incredible songs" and "would be damned if we can only have 10 or 12 of them on one album".
Style and content.
The material Wilson and Paley wrote ranged from full-blown rockers to delicate ballads. Their writing process involved one or the other convening at each other's house to sketch ideas on a boombox and contribute musical or lyrical ideas until the song was ready to be recorded in a professional studio with session musicians paid for by Wilson. Paley said: "We've just been doing what he [Brian] likes to do — the kind of records he's always liked; I don't try to change anything in any way — his vision of what he wants." Wilson described Paley as a multi-instrumentalist with "a lot of talent for anything you can think of. ... He's the most frighteningly talented person that I've met, and the most serious about music."
Some song titles were "Gettin' in Over My Head", "Slightly American Music", "I'm Broke", "Chain Reaction", "You're Still a Mystery", "It's Not Easy Being Me", "Marketplace", "Soul Searchin'", "Proud Mary", "Desert Drive", "Frankie Avalon", and "Dancin' the Night Away". Musicologist Philip Lambert states: "The songs from this period, most of them still unreleased, follow trends begun a decade earlier, exploring different pop idioms and returning time and again to favorite compositional devices like the repeating stepwise melody (in 'Mary Anne,' reviving melodic archetypes from 'Heroes and Villains,' 'Sweet Mountain,' and 'Mona'), and the descending stepwise bass ('Some Sweet Day')." Some songs originate before the 1990s, as evidenced by "Marketplace" and "It's Not Easy Being Me" being copyrighted in 1987.
Elaborating on the origins of "Soul Searchin", Paley said that he had the track finished before Wilson had heard it, but not its lyrics. "Brian came up with the first line (recites “I was a bum…”) and we worked on it from there. Brian contributed heavily with lyrics on that one. ... The original mix was really good; the way I wanted to sound in my head was like a Philly soul record. A lot of stuff was added to the Beach Boys track, things that I wasn’t nuts about — like acoustic guitars." Solomon Burke later recorded a version for his album "Don't Give Up on Me" (2002). "You're Still a Mystery", according to Paley, was "a 50/50 collaboration ... except for the bridge, which Brian wrote by himself." "Gettin' In Over My Head" was written for the film "Grace of My Heart" (1995), a fictionalized account of the 1960s Brill Building era that included a character based on Wilson.
Recording and conflicts.
The Wilson–Paley recordings span 1987–2008, though the main 1990s sessions commenced in spring 1992 and lasted until fall 1994 at Mark Linett's Your Place or Mine recording studio in Glendale, California. Further recording was produced by Don Was in November 1995 and Wilson–Paley sometime in 1997 and 1999. Was expressed excitement after sifting through the pile of demo tapes Brian and Paley had provided. By his account, the group "were a little cynical, but they didn't hesitate. ... Everybody got along and it was a lovely couple of days. There wasn't a tense moment and the results were pretty good." Paley remembered: "We had meetings and everything was getting rolling. ... Everyone was so happy to be there ... First I thought: 'Wow, this could really happen.' And when Carl sang 'Soul Searchin',' it was like ... wow this really "is" going to happen!"
In an August 1995 "MOJO" article, friction between Brian and the Beach Boys was reported, and Paley claimed that Love attempted to rewrite some of the material. The magazine "Request" reported: "When he [Brian] played some of the new tracks for the Beach Boys ... the members were politely supportive, but ultimately declined his invitation." Brian blamed Carl, saying that Carl disliked the song "Soul Searchin'", and didn't want it released. Brian's wife and soon-to-be manager Melinda Ledbetter also blamed Carl, saying that he did not believe the music was commercial enough.
During a background vocals session for "Dancin' the Night Away", Carl walked out, according to historian Andrew Doe. Camera crews were present for the song's recording, which was intended to be used for "Baywatch Nights". Some vocals for the song's bridge were recorded by Carl, but others including Brian failed to get Love to sing. Shortly after, Paley said that the album was unlikely to become a Beach Boys record: "Brian and I had a meeting with Mike Love and he listened to everything and Brian really stuck up for these songs and told him he didn’t want them changed in any way. I know he’s so anxious for this music to come out, and I know I am too."
"Stars and Stripes Vol. 1".
Music businessman and former wrestler Joe Thomas was enlisted to co-produce the Beach Boys' album "Stars and Stripes Vol. 1", an album composed of country music stars covering Beach Boys songs, for which Brian was a participant. It was Thomas who suggested the idea of a country album, and it was released on River North Records, the label he had been running. After the album was recorded, the group discussed finishing "Smile"; Ledbetter was a strong proponent, but Carl rejected the idea, fearing that it would cause Brian another nervous breakdown. Love said: "I have no idea why that [reunion album] didn't come together. I think everyone was willing to do it. I'm not sure how eager, but certainly willing." Don Was reflected that he felt responsible for "stopping the momentum" after suggesting that Brian's songs were not up to his standards: "He said, 'Yeah I agree with you.' And then Carl was sick and it just never happened."
The High Llamas were brought to the Beach Boys' attention after Bruce Johnston heard their 1996 album "Hawaii". Attempts to coordinate a collaboration between Brian and the High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan were unsuccessful. According to biographer Peter Ames Carlin, it was Carl who proposed that Brian work with O'Hagan, but Brian showed little interest. O'Hagan said that Thomas' involvement (specifically the "middle of the road" style he was influencing Wilson toward) was one reason why the High Llamas collaboration never happened. By 1997, Wilson and Paley were still recording, but unable to find a record contract. "I don't blame anybody for having their doubts about Brian," said Paley, "Because you look at what's been out there and it doesn't tell you what he's capable of. The Beach Boys' country album? Come on."
Many of the people advising Brian on his career decisions were persuading him to break into the adult contemporary and adult album alternative markets. When Carlin asked Paley why Wilson didn't finish the songs on his own, given that there was so much excitement and enthusiasm over the project, Paley responded: "A lot of people didn't want it to happen. I can't really go into it." "Request" wrote that Brian was being pressured by his "closest associates" to abandon his meticulously crafted arrangements with Paley and record an album more in the style of Kenny G. Some sources attributed the project's demise specifically to Ledbetter's interference.
"Imagination".
Brian moved to St. Charles, Illinois, spurred by a new partnership and friendship with Thomas. Carlin writes that the motivation was largely so that Wilson could use Thomas' connections and "slick" production sound to break into the adult contemporary market. For Wilson's forthcoming solo album, Thomas purposely took it upon himself to ensure that the new work would sound as close to adult contemporary radio as possible. In June 1997, music writer Domenic Priore wrote that Sire Records expressed interest in funding the completion of the Paley tapes and putting it out on the label: "A second meeting with [Seymour] Stein took place where Joe Thomas was brought in, and Thomas offered to deliver newly recorded Brian Wilson tapes from his studio (this offer was thankfully rejected)."
In June 1998, four months after the death of Carl Wilson, Brian released his fourth solo album, "Imagination", containing only one song written with Paley: "Where Has Love Been?". The next month, "Rolling Stone" journalist Jason Fine reported Brian's upcoming work:
Wilson said that he "sort of flipped out" around this time. On August 23, 1999, he filed a suit against Thomas, seeking damages and a declaration which freed him to work on his next album without involvement from Thomas. Thomas reciprocated with his own suit, citing that Melinda Ledbetter "schemed against and manipulated" him and Wilson. The case was settled out of court.
Availability and reception.
The material from the sessions is widely bootlegged. Some of the recordings circulate under the name "Landylocked". In 2017, Paley told "Rolling Stone": "I believe that all the stuff he [Brian] and I wrote together will see the light of day. I know he loves it and I love it." The article mentioned that most of the recordings remain unreleased "due in part to the legal quagmire that resulted when Wilson extricated himself from his tyrannical therapist, Eugene Landy."
In 1995, "Vox"s John Mulvey called it "quite simply the most consistent and inspiring music Brian has made for at least 25 years. For any elder statesman of rock, they would be shockingly good. For a man allegedly a gibbering wreck, they’re nothing short of revelatory." Retrospectively, "The Washington Post" called the material "worthy of release". Peter Ames Carlin wrote that the songs "set a new standard for Brian's solo work". On July 16, 2015, Brian performed the unreleased "I'm Broke" live for the first time, with "Seattle Music Insider" describing it a "bluesy rarity".
Officially released tracks.
The following lists tracks from the Wilson–Paley sessions that have since appeared on various albums.
Personnel.
This is a partial list of musicians and production staff involved with the recordings.