Jokermen Podcast: "The Beach Boys: WE GOTTA GROOVE with Howie Edelson, James Sáez, & Alan Boyd"
Date: February 9, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode of Jokermen celebrates the new Beach Boys box set, We Got a Groove: The Brother Studio Years, focusing on the underappreciated "Brian's Back" era (mid-to-late ‘70s, including The Beach Boys Love You and the shelved Adult/Child). Hosts Evan and Ian welcome the project’s masterminds: Howie Edelson (co-producer/historian), James Sáez (co-producer/engineer), and Alan Boyd (Beach Boys archival kingpin). Together, they discuss the genesis and philosophy behind the box, technical challenges, the idiosyncratic brilliance of this period, and the legacy of Brian Wilson and his brothers.
Introduction & Guest Roles [01:07–06:11]
- Hosts Evan and Ian introduce the We Got a Groove box set as "made for" their show, emphasizing its focus on the less-explored “Brian’s Back” era.
- Howie Edelson: Co-producer; passionate advocate for the 1974–1977 era, tracing the box's conception to a conversation with Alan Boyd 15+ years ago about its overlooked depth.
“This was quirky music this was odd music, but it was incredibly personal music.” [02:16]
- James Sáez: Co-producer; handled all technical aspects, mixing, and mastering, emphasizing creating a curated “adventure,” not just an anthology.
“We wanted it to feel less like, here are all these songs, and more of...an adventure and something people would listen to over and over again.” [04:45]
- Alan Boyd: Veteran Beach Boys archivist/producer, long fascinated by Love You’s deceptively simple surfaces and deep musicality. [06:11]
The Era’s Significance & Musical Innovation
The "Brian's Back" Era in Context [06:11–20:31]
- Love You is celebrated for its “deceptively simple” lyrics/instrumentation and its “deep and complex and beautiful” harmonies and chords. Alan marvels:
“It blew me away...musically, when you get into the chords and the internal harmonies, a lot of that is just as deep and complex and beautiful...as anything on Pet Sounds. It's just in a completely different package.” [06:11]
- The period was marked by Brian Wilson’s return—but on his own, idiosyncratic terms rather than aiming for mass-market appeal [02:16, 17:43].
- Adult/Child is described as Love You “without the fairy dust...without the magic...but I love it for that.” [16:14]
Carl Wilson's Crucial Role [09:12–14:32]
- Carl Wilson’s hands-on mixing shaped Love You’s unique dynamic texture. He brought drama and restraint, “figuring out what not to put in,” rescuing tracks from Brian’s sometimes “everything at once” approach.
“What Carl really brought was some serious dynamics...I saw this ‘mix down producer—Carl Wilson’—I'd never seen a credit like that before...until we pulled the tapes...that I came to appreciate just how important that that credit was.” [12:03]
- Producer credits: For marketing, credit stayed with Brian, but Carl’s critical influence is highlighted.
Songcraft & Personal Vision [18:01–21:54]
- The boldness of the songwriting is discussed, with Love You seen as a creative leap—“He’s making records...not hit singles, but they are records.” [18:03]
- Brian’s influences ripple into contemporary pop via Daryl Dragon and “Love Will Keep Us Together,” the latter even cited by Brian as a song he wished he’d written. [19:32]
The Technical Journey & Sonic Philosophy
Bringing the Tapes to Life [22:44–28:10]
- James Sáez describes his approach to rescuing and mixing these tapes: striving for “cinematic” dynamics while preserving their original character.
“The energy and the tone...you're really taking some chances...I was really scared that a 1976 or 75 mix was going to sit next to a new mix and how that might be jarring...so that was my biggest lift.” [23:11, 25:55]
- The team aims for emotional resonance and seamless listening, not clinical archivalism.
“All we can hope for is that someone in your position is thinking: I don't want to make this feel incongruous with the essence of the thing itself.” [27:42]
Fresh Ears, Fresh Approaches [28:08–30:03]
- Alan underscores the benefit of James’s “fresh ears” and lack of Beach Boys baggage, describing his background as “more of a punk sensibility.”
“He didn’t have a lot of expectations...he brought fresh ears to this project and brings new life from that perspective.” [28:10]
Brother Studios: The Spiritual & Technical Heart [30:15–38:51]
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Brother Studio’s genesis: converted from a Santa Monica porn theater, conceived by Dennis Wilson and engineered by Stephen Moffat (“Shiva”).
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Studio lore: Brian was a “one and done” take artist in this era; Dennis would record all night, often bumping commercial clients, causing friction in the attempt to run it as a business.
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Alan reflects on the uniqueness of albums created there (Love You, Pacific Ocean Blue), asserting the space itself shaped the sound.
“I was convinced there was something...really magical about that place...never heard anyone go to before or since.” [36:18]
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Technical details: Room dimensions, gear (Clover console, ARP & Moog synths, multiple tack pianos), and how this enabled Brian’s independent, futuristic sound.
Brian’s Mindset & Creative Process [38:51–46:49]
- Brian, at 34, is described as “pretty odd” and life as “pretty weird”; this sincerity and strangeness are seen as his superpowers.
“I think Brian Wilson at 34 was pretty odd and I think his life was, was pretty weird...there was this part of him that couldn't, could not be beautiful and endearing either—despite being in outer space.” [40:23]
- Analogous to John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band: raw, honest, sometimes childlike—and in Brian’s case, defiantly American (“very hamburger and fries about Brian...that never left him.”) [45:26]
Legacy, Reception & Future [46:49–54:38]
Brian’s Love for Love You [46:49–48:12]
- Alan reveals that Brian often cited Love You as his favorite Beach Boys album—much to the disapproval (and horror) of handlers.
“There was one time...someone asks him, what's your favorite Beach Boys album? And he goes, the Beach Boys Love You. And he starts playing Ding Dang on a piano...I know that some of the people who were sort of kind of running Brian Land at that time were kind of horrified.” [46:49]
Box Set Philosophy & Fan Reaction [48:40–56:36]
- The team wanted this box to flow as a listening experience, not just a chronological dump.
“It was a concerted effort to make this a collection and not just an album and outtakes. This has ebb and flow...another box set of this stuff...the vault is endless.” [49:45]
- When asked about commercial viability, Howie shrugs: “Lovey wasn’t commercial in 1977. So, what does it matter now?” [51:05]
- Host reports: box sets are sold out and demand is high—Beach Boys’ experimental period continues to gain new fans.
Memorable Quotes & Anecdotes
- On sequencing the box:
“We really tried to make something you’re not going to listen to twice and put on the back shelf...It was a real attempt to make something you're going to listen to over and over again and have a new adventure in.” — James Sáez, [52:56]
- On the emotional payoff:
“He [James] brought fresh ears...he brought fresh ears to this project and...brings new life from that perspective.” — Alan Boyd [28:10]
- On Brian’s inspiration and personality:
“There’s something very hamburger and fries about Brian.” — Howie Edelson [45:26]
- On the collaborative joy:
“To make something like this and have it be such a positive experience and low drama and...us all just really working like a team was beautiful, and I hope that comes across.” — James Sáez [56:36]
Standout Tracks/Picks from the Box Set [59:11–64:40]
- HOWIE: “It Could Be Anything” — encapsulates what a post-Holland album by the band (without Brian’s dominant return) might have sounded like.
- JAMES: “Holy Man”; the Let's Put Our Hearts Together cassette demo, and the raw alternate of “In the Back of My Mind”
- ALAN: “Chapel of Love”—a personal mixing holy grail; effusive about the sonic revelations in the orchestral tracks from Adult/Child
- HOST: “In the Back of My Mind”—Brian alone at the piano is “unbelievable.”
Celebration of the Team & Community [64:43–66:28]
- Paul Moore lauded for beautiful box set artwork.
- Al Gomes credited with finding rare Brother Studios ad for the booklet.
- The communal, joyful spirit of the team is emphasized—this wasn’t a typical tense archival job, but a deeply rewarding collaboration.
Coda: Clip of Brian Wilson Interview (Vintage) [67:05–69:31]
A vintage snippet with Brian himself reflects the same kind of quirky sincerity discussed all episode:
“You look terrific...are you happy?”
“Yeah. This is the first year I lost 50 pounds. Can you believe that?...I'm happy now. I look better. I feel better. Hey, that's the way to go.” [68:26–69:31]
Notable Moments: Timestamps
- [06:11] — Alan Boyd marvels at Love You's complexity beneath simplicity.
- [12:03] — The critical “mix down producer: Carl Wilson” dynamic.
- [16:14] — Howie on Adult/Child: “sounds like Love You without the fairy dust.”
- [21:54] — Alan describes being moved to tears by James's new mixes of the Adult/Child orchestral tracks.
- [23:11] — James explains the challenge and care in mixing the old material.
- [27:42] — Hosts (and fans) grateful for the team's sensitivity to sonic authenticity.
- [46:49] — Alan’s story: Brian claiming Love You as his favorite to the mortification of his handlers.
- [52:56] — James on the re-listenability goal for the set.
- [59:11] — Panelists share their personal favorite tracks/inclusions.
Conclusion
We Got a Groove is not just a box set, but a love letter to one of the Beach Boys’ weirdest, most raw and most emotionally revealing periods—one that, as the conversation shows, continues to inspire, challenge, and unify fans and insiders. With archival passion, technical brilliance, and a sense of community joy, the team cracks open the “Brian’s Back” vault to let the old magic shine anew, with the hope that this deep, odd art keeps finding new believers.
For deep fans and newcomers, the message is clear: put this on, listen all the way through, and you’ll hear why—once again—it’s all good music.