WHEN it was announced in March that the surviving members of the Beach Boys had ended years of bad vibrations and had come to an amicable agreement over the use of their name, it appeared that Edinburgh would get to hear the original surfing sound of the Californian summer once again.
Of course we've already been treated to a couple of five-star gigs from Brian Wilson, the so-called "drug-addled loon" according to certain quarters, who was responsible for composing some of the Beach Boys greatest moments.
His appearance at th
e Playhouse to perform the seminal Pet Sounds in 2002 was followed last September with a performance at the Festival Theatre in an evening which included original Beach Boys hits as well as a concert piece commissioned by the Southbank Centre: That Lucky Old Sun (A Narrative).
Before the March announcement, original member lead vocalist Mike Love had said of a possible reunion: "Anything is possible, but there have been legal issues with respect to Al (fellow founder member, Jardine] and Brother Records, the company that controls the Beach Boys' name.
"I look forward to the day those resolve and the way is cleared to entertain those concepts, but the conditions would have to be right. We'd have to perform at a level appreciated by the public."
With the public having appreciated Brian Wilson's efforts so well, the March announcement seemed to herald the dawning of a new summer of love, at least according to a spokesman for Al Jardine.
"Everybody would love it," said Jardine's attorney, Lawrence Noble, of the possibility of a full-scale reunion.
"We've cleared out a lot of negative history. We're looking forward to the future, and hopefully a lot of good things will happen."
If the rest of the surviving Beach Boys originals (drummer Dennis Wilson – ironically the only band member who could surf – drowned in 1983 while his brother, vocalist Carl, lost a long battle with cancer in 1998) are tentative about reunion plans, Brian Wilson is singularly straightforward about the idea.
"No! Absolutely, no!" he says of the idea of getting back together again with cousin Mike and childhood chum Al. Adding angrily, as if he had not yet made himself clear, "I don't want to talk about that, I've nothing more to say."
Which is sad news for those intent on a full-scale reunion. For the band, which remains the number one-selling American band of all time, in terms of singles and albums sales, it looks as if it will remain a summer of Love – with a capital L – even if it comes with the Beach Boys name attached.
After several years in which his litigious ex-colleagues had forced him into performing as the Beach Boys Band, as if he were part of some low-rent tribute act, Love had gone so far to license the Beach Boys name back again for this summer.
He hooked up with Bruce Johnston, who first became a Beach Boy in 1965, and even got David Marks, who he referred to as the "lost Beach Boy" who was on the first four album covers and performed with the band in the early years, on board for a UK tour.
Indeed, his fans in the Capital were looking forward to the trio's appearance at the Edinburgh Playhouse on April 8, along with John Cowsill, Tim Bonhomme, Randell Kirsch, Scott Totten and Christian Love.
Then, in another wipe-out for fans of the surf-loving combo, they cancelled the gig with just three days' notice. Nor did they feel the need to furnish their fans with any reason.
Although, it appears that they were able to perform in Sheffield just a few days later, where they were greeted with not one, but two standing ovations – at the end and even at the interval.
Yet those surfer dudes are resilient. And while it appears that David Marks has commitments elsewhere – he's got a date on a beach with Al Jardine and Dean Torrence as the Surf City All Stars – it's time for any fans who still want to witness the originals in the flesh to keep those surfboards crossed . . .
And pray that Messrs Love and Johnston, with their non-original pals, deign to turn up to the Playhouse for their rearranged date on Thursday, on their way to play a festival on Horsens, Denmark.
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The Beach Boys, Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, Thursday, 7.30pm, £36.50, 0800-587 5007The full article contains 751 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
