Friday, February 19, 2021

A Little Good News!

Yesterday was a Good News Day for Music as both The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees made headlines with stories about their incredible catalog of music and legacy and future plans.

Speaking of which ...

Could a Brian Wilson / Barry Gibb album be in our future?  (OMG, can you even imagine?!?!)

The two legendary songwriters held a public Mutual Admiration Society fest on Wednesday, each sharing their admiration and respect of the other publicly on their social media outlets. 

It all started when Brian Wilson praised Gibb on his Facebook Page the other day.  “I really admire Barry Gibb.  He is like King Kong. He and I could probably work something up together.”

The fact that the thought had even crossed his mind is encouraging.  (Keep in mind that Wilson and Paul McCartney were supposed to work together, too, some twenty years ago … back when they both could have still mustered up some reasonable facsimile of singing … but that pairing never took place.)

Wilson went on to explain, “We met at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 1997. I presented them (The Bee Gees) for their introduction. They sang ‘To Love Somebody.’ Before the show, Barry came down to meet me and he just sat in the room. I heard later that he was nervous. I was nervous, too.”

Barry Gibb was clearly moved by Wilson’s praise and, a short while later, posted:

“You are the reason I’m living.  You prove to me that you can do whatever you want to do with your voice and all these years I have just been following you and everything you do. If I’m King Kong, then you are Godzilla! Thank you for such a wonderful compliment. We must connect and collaborate as soon as we can. I love you, pal! As I said … you’re the reason.”

In other Beach Boys news … and in what seems to be a continuing trend of our vintage artists selling off their music and publishing catalogs, The Beach Boys announced yesterday that they have entered into a partnership with music business legend Irving Azoff.  The two major music forces are teaming up as partners in Azoff’s new Iconic Artists Group to “preserve and grow their legacy in a digital era.”

As part of the deal, Iconic has purchased a controlling interest in the Beach Boys’ intellectual property, sound recordings, the brand, select musical compositions and memorabilia. Looking to the future, the members of The Beach Boys and their heirs will retain an interest in their assets to “participate in the upside Iconic expects to create by actively marketing and promoting the Beach Boys.”  In a statement released to the press, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and the Carl Wilson estate said, “The Beach Boys and our songs have been one of the great joys of our lives. For more than half a century, we’ve witnessed generations of fans from all corners of the world come together to celebrate our music, dancing and singing along to the songs that we have loved and performed for decades. As we look towards the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Beach Boys, we wanted a partner to help expand opportunities for our brand, while continuing to preserve our tradition as a band whose music transcends the test of time.  We are confident that Irving and Iconic are the ideal partners and are confident that the Beach Boys’ ongoing legacy is in the best possible hands. We are very proud of what we have achieved as the Beach Boys and how our songs continue to resonate with our fans.”  

Irving Azoff went on to say, “The Beach Boys are an American treasure.  I am honored that the Beach Boys have entrusted Iconic to preserve and grow their legacy. And I’m thrilled that the Beach Boys want to stay invested in the growth of the incredible cultural brand they created.”

This sounds like an excellent deal for all parties concerned … and hopefully will keep the music of The Beach Boys going for many more years to come, long after all of us are gone … allowing every new generation the opportunity to discover and enjoy the very best of their feel good vibe.  (I guess MY only question would be, Why isn’t Dennis Wilson’s name and estate mentioned anywhere in this agreement?  And have any type of provisions been made for essential group members Bruce Johnston and David Marks?)  Hopefully, more details will emerge as we move forward as this right now is considered to be a “late breaking story” … but a good one!!!  (kk)