SMiLE Sessions box set!

[Roger Ryan]

A question for the older/wiser members here: Around the time of SMiLE, was the word 'Psychedelia' thrown around a lot in relation to music? Had the term yet been coined during SMiLE? or did it come after Sgt Pepper and 13th floor elevators?

I'm a bit young (ha-ha), but I recall hearing the term "psychedelic" to describe music as early as the late 60s/early 70s. It was a label like any other label ("folk rock", "bubblegum pop"), but Brian was using the term himself in '66, so I have to think it was in place almost immediately. You're right that it was "in the air" at the time, but Brian took full advantage of those ideas and invented some of his own that countless "neo-psychedelic" bands continue to utilize today.

Using wikipedia's description...

    * electric guitars, often used with feedback, wah wah and fuzzboxes - fuzz bass is all over SMiLE, especially "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" & "Cabin Essence"

    * elaborate studio effects, such as backwards tapes, panning, phasing, long delay loops, and extreme reverb - tape explosions on both "Heroes & Villains" and "I'm In Great Shape"; plenty of reverb throughout

    * exotic instrumentation, with a particular fondness for the sitar and tabla - Exotic instrumentation was Brian's forte during this period; no sitar or tabla, but the slide guitar on "Do You Like Worms?" and the ending banjo/guitar line on "Cabin Essence" will substitute nicely

    * a strong keyboard presence, especially organs, harpsichords, or the Mellotron (an early tape-driven 'sampler') - Absolutely! Harpsichords and treated keyboards all over the place on SMiLE

    * a strong emphasis on extended instrumental solos or jams - One might say that "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" would qualify, but I won't push it

    * complex song structures, key and time signature changes, modal melodies and drones - Throw a dart at SMiLE and you'll hit this. "Cabin Essence", "Surf's Up", "Heroes & Villains", "Water Chant", etc.

    * primitive electronic instruments such as synthesizers and the theremin - By SMiLE, Brian was way ahead of the curve; the theremin was already in place on "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" and "Good Vibrations"

   * surreal, whimsical, esoterically or literary-inspired, lyrics - Calling pun-loving, Wordsworth-quoting Mr. Parks; this one's got your name on it!

[Mikie]

Of course, Brian was going to do it his way which is what makes him an original, but you can find psychedelic ideas as early as "She Knows Me Too Well" in the ethereal backing vocals and the eastern-tinged guitar lines. By SMiLE, he fully embraced psychedelia...and has even kept some of those ideas in his arsenal ever since.

I was with you up to that point, Roger. I don't hear what you're hearing as far as 'psychedelia' in "She Knows Me Too Well". And I'd like to hear your examples of "ideas [psychedelic] in his arsenal" that you're referring to. Do these musical ideas of his, I assume you mean Brian's post SMiLE and solo career, reflect your criteria and definitions of psychedelic music above?

[Roger Ryan]

...And I'd like to hear your examples of "ideas [psychedelic] in his arsenal" that you're referring to. Do these musical ideas of his, I assume you mean Brian's post SMiLE and solo career, reflect your criteria and definitions of psychedelic music above?

I feel there are plenty of subtle psychedelic ideas with Brian's music post-SMiLE, but more obvious examples would be "Transcendental Meditation", "Sail Plane Song", the organ solo on "Wild Honey", the overall production/arrangement of "All I Wanna Do", "At My Window" and "I Went To Sleep". A really blatant semi-recent example would be "Rainbow Eyes" (which is really trying to be psychedelic). "Happy Days" is another one (I know, the first half of the song was written in '70, but the overall arrangement/production maintains the psychedelic atmosphere, especially in Brian's insistence at including a spoken word section quoting "Dante's Inferno"). "Rio Grande" has some wonderful SMiLE-like psychedelic moments. I also consider the weird, discordant backing vocals to "Oxygen To The Brain" and "Summertime" to be semi-psychedelic.

Interestingly, one site I found which listed the top 100 psychedelic songs of all time did not include a single Brian composition, but did include "Feel Flows" from SURF'S UP!

[OBLiO]

Aren't there a bunch of quotes from Brian at the time talking about "Psychedelic music"?  (I'm paraphrasing as I don't have the exact quotes handy) "Psychedelic music will grow, expand, cover the music world..."    It was HIS version of it though, not in line with the SF bands, and all that jamming endlessly stuff, but HIS own unique take on what psychedelic music was/is. 

 To him, it seems to me (based on things he said at the time), psychedelic music was spiritual/religious. 

Hi Paul,

That last bit you said there. Excellent point.

His version of psychedelic music...  thanks for pointing that out.

[OBLiO]

Another point regarding Brian's influence...

The Beatles started out with the idea of making an album about their childhood which became Sgt. Pepper.
And the first three songs they worked on were Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, and When I'm Sixty-Four.
I think Paul got the idea from Pet Sounds because the song that touched him the most was
"You Still Believe In Me" - the bell on the bicycle... and I think Paul even said he played Pet Sounds
so much for John that there is no way he couldn't have been influenced by it.

Revolver had drug inspired songs as well as eastern mysticism inspired material as well. I am gathering that
the psychedelic movement began 1966 and Brian would have been aware of it even if there wasn't a
word to describe it, yet. I remember being blown away when I realized the Doors first record was recorded
in August of 1966. So there was definitely a thing happening in L.A. as well as England. Pink Floyd was
another big influence on the psychedelic happenings and recorded Piper at the same time the Beatles
recorded Pepper. But Floyd had incorporated the light shows in their performance and I have read that jazz
musicians would go to their performances just to trip out on the lights.

I just took a quick gander at the wiki page for the word psychedelic:

The term was first coined as a noun in 1957 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond as an alternative descriptor
for hallucinogenic drugs in the context of psychedelic psychotherapy.

----------------------------------
EDIT: adding this from wiki

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The November 1966 album title is purported to be the first use of the word "psychedelic" in reference to the music within.

[Mikie]

The Jefferson Hairpie recorded "Surrealistic Pillow" in November, 1966 and it's also considered a "psychedelic" album.

Also recorded in November 1966, supposedly at Western Studios 3, is a session (Surf's Up?) led by Brian Wilson and includes Van Dyke Parks, Danny Hutton, Michael Vosse and some other guy who sound like they're on mind-altering substances. Parts of the "Vega-Tables Chants" were used in the "Vegetables Promo (instrumental section)" on "Hawthorne, CA. Short segments of "Vega-Tables Chants" and "Air Chant & Laughter" are on "The Hamburger Sessions Plus" boot. The rest of it is on the "Psychedelic Sounds" boot. Those guys were stoned, man!

[Bill Tobelman]

This is a fantastic resource for folks wanting to know about early psychedelic music. You will see Brian Wilson listed on this list!

http://www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/lamaEarlyPsychedelia.htm

[bgas]

Those guys are stoned, man!

Just your opinion, of course. They were probably straight as can be and acting as if they were stoned

[OBLiO]

ran a search for Brian Wilson and Psychedelic and found this:

http://www.equinoxjournals.com/PMH/article/viewArticle/6593

The Vegetables Turned: Sifting The Psychedelic Subsoil of Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett
by Dale Carter

[Mikie]

Just your opinion, of course. They were probably staright as can be and acting as if they were stoned.

Yeah, they were 'staright' alright.  Starighted outta their gords so much they couldn't speak or spell right!

[Dunderhead]

You can hear them smoking ON Psychedelic Sounds.
Listen to like Torture, certainly sounds like people toking.
I think that whole project was, "we should record ourselves high so we can remember all the great stuff we come up with"

[hypehat]

Psychedelic Sounds' title being the invention of a certain Catbirdman who made an appearance of late? Surely part of Brian's plan.....

I mean, was Brian really recording his friends chanting Vegetable names for PSYCHEDELIC purposes, or to espouse Healthy Eating?

Or was he recording 'water' sounds for PSYCHEDELIC purrposes, or just to get the sound of 'water' on tape?

Or to have the arguing for PSYCHEDELIC purposes, or just tto have the comic arguing as possibile SFX for his record?

Maybe he just liked recording his friends?

I would rather simplify things than reckon Mike Love drinking milk as equating to the Great Chicago Fire, you patronising swine 

[OBLiO]

This is a fantastic resource for folks wanting to know about early psychedelic music. You will see Brian Wilson listed on this list!

http://www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/lamaEarlyPsychedelia.htm

Hi Bill...
I just finished reading the article by Dale Carter... it was a great read and the
author cites LamaWorkshop as a reference.
Maybe you can contact the author and show him your thoughts on Arrowhead,
as he cites Big Sur as the place Brian visited.

[Bill Tobelman]

That Big Sur thing is from David Anderle's talk with Paul Williams, and Domenic Priore has spread it around a bit.

It was Bob Hanes who told me that the PET SOUNDS film shooting locale was "Big Sur." Later the Keith Badman book had a Derek Taylor quote (from Derek's 1972 book)  about that film shooting taking place in the mountainous region above Lake Arrowhead.

The idea that Brian may have then had his great experience in Lake Arrowhead fit incredibly well with the SMiLE music itself. The Grange, the Iron Horse, the music hall, the Indians, the peace in the valley, all that stuff was there.

Then when Brian was going to tour the U.S. with SMILE I saw that he was being interviewed from his Lake Arrowhead property & said it's time to take that logical leap of faith and did my OUT OF SIGHT SMiLE timeline webpage.

[Bill Tobelman]

Just want to be clear. Bob Hanes knew that the Pet Sounds film wasn't done at Big Sur.

The point is that there was no Big Sur holiday, just the Pet Sounds film holiday.

[bgas]

Just want to be clear. Bob Hanes knew that the Pet Sounds film wasn't done at Big Sur.

The point is that there was no Big Sur holiday, just the Pet Sounds film holiday.

So Coach was just messing with you/ trying to send you up the primrose path?

[Bill Tobelman]

We had a falling out because the Zen Riddle angle clashed with the official angle circa BWPS.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The idea that Brian may have then had his great experience in Lake Arrowhead fit incredibly well with the SMiLE music itself. The Grange, the Iron Horse, the music hall, the Indians, the peace in the valley, all that stuff was there.

   alert...

The Grange, of formally The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was founded in 1867 and is a fraternal organization that encourage farmers and their families to form groups for their own benefit, usually economic. I can't find any evidence of their being an arm of The Grange in the Arrowhead area (would be surprising, actually).

"Peace in the valley" - written in 1937 Red Foley, 1951

Then when Brian was going to tour the U.S. with SMILE I saw that he was being interviewed from his Lake Arrowhead property...

I think I'm pretty safe in saying the chances that Brian chose the Arrowhead property is pretty small.  I don't think he's been there for years. It may even have been sold (I know it was on the market).

[Bill Tobelman]

Andrew, at the bottom of this link you'll see how the farmers in the area got together for their own benefit.

http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/lake_arrowhead/files/lakehistory.htm

When the Indians fought they'd "take their wounded to the sacred hot springs, as it was neutral ground." The hot springs were located under the arrowhead (which points down) and so there was peace in the valley. [what's inside the quotes is from the Images Of America LAKE ARROWHEAD book]

The fact that you can derive different meanings from these SMiLE lyrics is exactly the point. Mysteries full of meaning.

The psychedelic drug experience allows folks to see things on a different level so there can be this multiple meaning thing.

VDP said to Mike Love that the lyrics don't mean anything. Then in Domenic's 2nd book VDP said that the lyrics had meaning for VDP. And I submit to you Andre G. Doe that the lyrics had meaning for Brian Wilson as well. Van Dyke's meanings may not be Brian's meanings and visa versa.

[Bill Tobelman]

Sorry Andrew, did not mean to misspell your name.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Sorry Andrew, did not mean to misspell your name.

Andre G. Doe... I like that.  Looks good.  I may adopt it.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Andrew, at the bottom of this link you'll see how the farmers in the area got together for their own benefit.

http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/lake_arrowhead/files/lakehistory.htm

Granted... but no mention of The Grange association being behind it, which was my point. VDP used the word "Grange" in a very specific sense:

"I want to watch you windblown facing
Waves of wheat for your embracing.
Folks sing a song of the grange."

[Bill Tobelman]

If Van Dyke were referring to an official Grange Association he would have capitalized grange.

[hypehat]

If Van Dyke were referring to an official Grange Association he would have capitalized grange.

 

[The Shift]

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