Good Vibrations Tour

Like it or not, Dr. Eugene Landy was right.....
Finally got around to buying this title. First and foremost, those looking for some live Brian Wilson stage action circa 1976 will be disappointed. He sings no songs onstage and they don't even cut to him the few times he is on the piano. I saw no footage of him on bass either.

Instead, the value of this DVD is held mostly in the studio performances:

I'm Bugged at my Old Man - Bri, Dennis and Carl around a piano. Notice them all looking at each other and laughing at some of the lyrics as if they might have been true happenings in the Wilson household.

That Same Song - Live in a baptist church with the boys and a full choir singing accompanied only by an unknown guy on piano

Dennis Wilson - You are so Beautiful - same as the 'An American Band' footage if I'm not mistaken

The rest of the 'live' show is unexciting subpar to the Knebworth show of just a few years later in regards to performance quality and participation from...

Nostalgia with a twist
This concert was filmed during the infamous "Brian Is Back" campaign in 1976 and shown on TV at the time. The concert is interrupted by footing of interviews with band members and friends. Curiously, the whole thing works, even though the performances on stage seem forced at times, Brian looks disturbed on stage and the famous harmonies are missing in most parts. Still, there are true highlights: For me, the performance of "That Same Song" with a gospel choir (not on stage) is simply amazing. It is far more emotional and powerful than the original version that appeared on 15 Big Ones. This should have appeared on record. Another highlight is Dennis rendition of "You Are So Beautiful". For fans of Dennis, this DVD is a true find, because he is shown prominently throughout the film. He plays it cool as a member of the jury for a beauty contest with "California Girls" playing in the background. Great stuff.

The full screen picture quality is so-so (70s TV standard), The sound...

Great DVD
UPDATE: 10/2013 It looks like a USA encoded version of this was released in June of this year, and as this review is appearing with that DVD as well.

As a result I've removed a section in here before, that called out the fact that the import version is PAL encoded.

UPDATE OUT!

So this is a pretty interesting look at the Beach Boys; this was originally broadcast as a network television special as part of the "Brian is Back" advertising campaign that was being pushed by the Beach Boys then current manager. The boys had been picking up some steam in the 70s via their live shows; and their manager had the bright idea to drag a retired/reclusive Brian Wilson out of isolation, and back into the band in order to try to give them an extra push.

Unfortunately, as you can see in this DVD, Brian was simply not in a state really to be back in the public eye. From what I've read his substance intake had not subsided at this point at all, and the...

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