Brian Wilson Fired From The Beach Boys!

The Beach Boys will continue to tour after this summer's special 50th anniversary set of shows, but guess what, three of the original members won't be joining them, after Mike Love opted to let them know via a public statement that he wouldn't be requiring their services after this week's shows in the UK. Ouch. That means that founding members Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks will no longer be with the band again; Love will be touring as the Beach Boys in October, but he'll be reverting to the members who had been playing under that moniker beside him since he took over the rights to the group's songs in 1998, which includes original member Bruce Wilson and their long time backing band.

Rolling Stone reports that Love issued a statement that said "As we move on, Bruce and I look forward to performing live for Beach Boys fans everywhere." By way of explanation for the sudden cull of the three original members, he added "The 50th Reunion Tour was designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end to mark a special 50-year milestone for the band."

It's disappointing news indeed, not least because of the fight Brian Wilson underwent just to make it for the 50th anniversary shows, undertaking two procedures to correct a problem in his lower back. We can't help but feel that Love's dropped the ball a bit on this one.