Mark Linett Billboard Interview About SMiLE

[Mr. Cohen]

I agree that "CE" needs those Carl vocals. A beautifully remastered version of "CE" with Carl's vocals would be a good step towards getting more of the general listening public interested in the release. And I'm confused by people saying it's only "close" to Brian's vision. What else could Brian have done, except maybe add an interesting transition or two between the verse & chorus? Keeping in mind that nothing that could fit was recorded. So what else could've been done?

[Ron]

The fact that Mark has already flown in the Brian piano vocal onto the "Surf's Up" backing track suggests that a certain amount of manipulation might be done in an attempt to present the album in as complete a form as possible. The Carl lead on "Surf's Up" won't be used because the manipulation of the '66 Brian vocal allows a lead vocal to be present without leaving the '66/'67 timeframe. "Cabin Essence" strikes me as being on the fence. The 20/20 version was included in the SMiLE selections for the GV Box Set and I'm thinking it would be included here since it is so damn close to what Brian intended to do with the track in '66. If they stick with the rule that nothing outside '66/'67 gets in, then "Cabin Essence" will at least have the chorus and tag vocals.

Personally, I don't mind some manipulation and experiments in putting together the "album" disc. As others have mentioned, a lot of these tracks have already been released. The '71 "Surf's Up" has been re-released four or five times on CD since the first issue of the SURF'S UP album - we don't need it yet again! Something fresher, even if it involves a bit of 2011 technological magic, might give this presentation a better sense of identity apart from just being a collection of the various tracks that have already seen an official release.

When I got the Beatles Anthology 2 and read in the liners how tracks had been flown in from other takes, I was disgusted, because there was no legitimate reason for doing this except to create a 'new' mix. Flying in Brian's vocal from the 'demo' version of "Surf's Up", I can handle. One, it's subbing fro something that doesn't exist... and two, we'll have the original track anyway on the sessions CD.

Yup, I agree... also that particular song, there's a precedent with it that the finished version ended up having the same lyrics, etc. so it's a no brainer really to use the demo vocals.  They just literally never recorded a vocal for it, and here's an early vocal for it.  Easy enough. 

[Roger Ryan]

...And I'm confused by people saying it's only "close" to Brian's vision. What else could Brian have done, except maybe add an interesting transition or two between the verse & chorus? Keeping in mind that nothing that could fit was recorded. So what else could've been done?

I actually referred to the 20/20 version as damn close! Going by '66 standards, I believe Brian would have requested a brighter/punchier lead from Carl. The existing vocal is fine but it does have that somewhat laid-back FRIENDS-era vibe, different from the way Carl sang "God Only Knows" or "Good Vibrations". I also think the mix would have been different if Brian had completed it in '66 with the group vocals a little bit more upfront and, perhaps, a little less echo. Certainly it would have been in mono.

Again, the CE lead seems like the hardest call - the song is arguably the most important SMiLE track behind "Heroes & Villains" and "Surf's Up" (and "Good Vibrations" if you're counting); do you really want to put it out without a lead vocal? Apart from the abandoned "Wonderful" take, does Carl even have another lead on the SMiLE sessions? I guess the "Water Chant" counts, sort of...but you know what I mean.

[Emdeeh]

I don't get why people want Carl's lead on 'Surf's Up' or the completed version of 'Cabinessence':

OK, I wasn't going to get into this more, but here's my bottom line -- I find Carl's vocal on "Surf's Up" to be exquisite and very sensuous. I just that I like Carl's singing on this particular song better than any version of SU I've heard with a BW lead.

And I can certainly put together my own custom running version of Smile post-release to listen to, as I'm sure we all will. 

[brother john]

Also, flying in Brian's vocal over the Surf's Up track seems pretty -- um -- odd. What's the point? To have it over the first part, then the piano demo (which is a 71 compromise) then "Child" vocals? Where would the "Child" vox come from?

I _really_ don't want a cut-and-paste, BWPS-sounding thing. It disrespects the history, and it disrespects BWPS, which should be allowed to stand on its own terms.

I agree, I think shoe horning the vocals from the piano version over the backing track is an absolutely awful idea.

I agree. The backing track is stunning enough on its own without adding Brian's vocal, which in any case is slightly out of tune and seems to have been a bit beyond his range, possibly due to all the ciggies and joints he'd been smoking. Mind you, if it was pitch-corrected I wouldn't mind hearing it as an extra track of some sort. 

[brother john]

I don't get why people want Carl's lead on 'Surf's Up' or the completed version of 'Cabinessence':

OK, I wasn't going to get into this more, but here's my bottom line -- I find Carl's vocal on "Surf's Up" to be exquisite and very sensuous. I just that I like Carl's singing on this particular song better than any version of SU I've heard with a BW lead.

And I can certainly put together my own custom running version of Smile post-release to listen to, as I'm sure we all will. 

Absolutely. I don't understand the obsession with Brian singing Surf's Up. Carl was a better choice for this as he was also for GOK and and Breakaway among others.

[JaredLekites]

I'm gonna be a real puss and say: however they do it, I will be pleased. Unless there are new vocals referring to Kokomo or something.

One upon the sandwich isles, the California Girls steamed upon Kokomo

[Roger Ryan]

I agree. The backing track is stunning enough on its own without adding Brian's vocal, which in any case is slightly out of tune and seems to have been a bit beyond his range, possibly due to all the ciggies and joints he'd been smoking. Mind you, if it was pitch-corrected I wouldn't mind hearing it as an extra track of some sort. 

Are you talking about the studio recording of Brian singing "Surf's Up" over the piano track or the performance at home featured in the INSIDE POP special? I agree his performance at home isn't too grand but the studio performance released on the GV Box Set is exquisite.

[guitarfool2002]

The fascinating thing about Cabinessence is how it was reported DENNIS was in mind as the lead character singing the lyrics - not Carl, not Brian. Obviously there was something about having Dennis play the narrator which made sense to Brian and Van Dyke when they were creating the song. And obviously Dennis only got to be the narrator for "Truck drivin' man", which got buried in the mixes we know.

I am also of the opinion the project should stop at May 1967, and what was unfinished remains unfinished. If you're buying this set, you already own the later versions and to me it wouldn't make sense to place them in this context - a historical, archival context - for some sense of completeness which wasn't there when the project ended.

[brother john]

I agree. The backing track is stunning enough on its own without adding Brian's vocal, which in any case is slightly out of tune and seems to have been a bit beyond his range, possibly due to all the ciggies and joints he'd been smoking. Mind you, if it was pitch-corrected I wouldn't mind hearing it as an extra track of some sort. 

Are you talking about the studio recording of Brian singing "Surf's Up" over the piano track or the performance at home featured in the INSIDE POP special? I agree his performance at home isn't too grand but the studio performance released on the GV Box Set is exquisite.

Unless I'm mistaken these are the same. And they both have problems... 

[Andrew G. Doe]

The studio take is different to the home footage.

[Wirestone]

Disc 1 is a minefield. I just don't know how you do it.

One one hand, you don't want to make it a patchwork of previously released tracks -- and some two-thirds of the tracks have already been released in near-finished form. (Prayer, H&V, SU, Cabinessence, Veggies, Wonderful, Wind Chimes, Good Vibes.)

But, if you're trying to make a nice selection of the music recorded, in a coherent playing order, I don't see how you can go without Cabinessence lead vocals. And Surf's Up does need to be on there with lyrics -- they make the song. These are the two posers. And it's hard to see how some of the '93 box set stuff will be much different, unless radically different takes are selected.

Yes, these things have been released, but how can you omit them without harming the end product? You may own them, but if this is the definitive Smile box, surely we should have a "best of all possible versions" disc 1. The material deserves that. But if you follow BWPS -- and what Mark wants to do with Surf's Up -- are we going to have Brian's piano demo vocals overlaid on top of "barnyard" and "I'm in Great Shape" tracks too?

I don't know. Glad these things aren't my call.

[OneEar/OneEye]

The fascinating thing about Cabinessence is how it was reported DENNIS was in mind as the lead character singing the lyrics - not Carl, not Brian. Obviously there was something about having Dennis play the narrator which made sense to Brian and Van Dyke when they were creating the song. And obviously Dennis only got to be the narrator for "Truck drivin' man", which got buried in the mixes we know.

I am also of the opinion the project should stop at May 1967, and what was unfinished remains unfinished. If you're buying this set, you already own the later versions and to me it wouldn't make sense to place them in this context - a historical, archival context - for some sense of completeness which wasn't there when the project ended.

I was thinking about that also.   The Vosse interview talks about Dennis being meant to sing it, and while Carl's lead here is beautiful,  it would've been killer to have Dennis singing this.     Cabin Essence has always bugged me in that the song was virtually complete but for that lead on the verse.  All the other vocals were done.  Mike had issues with uncovering the cornfield, but he did it anyway, those are there.  And the verses even have backing vocals, so why not a lead until '68?   Dennis was notoriously antsy in the studio, and was possibly the one most likely to miss a session (intentionally or not).  I think of Brian's message on the back of Summer Days where he explains that Dennis was supposed to have sung a lead for the album, but fell asleep in his "camper truck" the day of the session.    
My biggest excitement for this release is in the things that they might have dug up that nobody has heard before (missing vocals perhaps??  Not at all likely I know, but wouldn't that be awesome.)
I'd agree with the sentiment to not use anything recorded after '67.  

[buddhahat]

Brian spent a tremendous amount of time on "Heroes & Villains". [There's] even a slightly longer version of the one that was released as a single, which includes several extra sections doesn't even have to begin to encompass every variation of that song.

I can't work out if Mark is suggesting here that they've unearthed a longer edit of H&V than the single release, or if he's just referring to the known array of extra Heroes sections that would effectively make up a longer track if edited together? Seriously exciting if they've found a longer vintage edit.

we have been actively doing an archive project for about 10 years, there are things that we have discovered that the bootleggers missed.

This also looks interesting although don't want to get my hopes up too much for any unbooted material.

[18thofMay]

The fascinating thing about Cabinessence is how it was reported DENNIS was in mind as the lead character singing the lyrics - not Carl, not Brian. Obviously there was something about having Dennis play the narrator which made sense to Brian and Van Dyke when they were creating the song. And obviously Dennis only got to be the narrator for "Truck drivin' man", which got buried in the mixes we know.

I am also of the opinion the project should stop at May 1967, and what was unfinished remains unfinished. If you're buying this set, you already own the later versions and to me it wouldn't make sense to place them in this context - a historical, archival context - for some sense of completeness which wasn't there when the project ended.

18th of May..

[mtaber]

As someone who goes back a long way with the hopes of a released SMILE, I must say that this whole thing absolutely blows my mind!  I had a good friend who always dreamed of a SMILE release, this friend took his own life a few years ago and sadly will miss this.  Since this was Brian's project, and Brian couldn't piece it together to finish it, and since subsequent efforts have also failed to result in a finished product, I for one will be happy with whatever we get.  I do agree that the release should include only material from the original sessions, I don't want new vocals for sure.  But who would have ever thought this stuff would get an official release in our lifetime?  Special times, for certain.  

[Custom Machine]

It would be a damn shame to leave off Carl's '68 Cabin Essence lead on the forthcoming release of the Smile Sessions.  Unlike some tracks on BWPS, the lyrics for Cabin Essence existed before the project was scrapped, and are central to understanding one of the most essential tracks on the album.

[bossaroo]

Cabin Essence should keep Carl's lead, unless they've uncovered a Dennis or Brian lead from the actual sessions.
but i hope there's a version with just the "doing-doing-doing's" too! when were those recorded?


I'm guessing Tones will be included? i'd like to see Hawaiian Song/Little Pad on there too since it's seemingly related, and since the Hawaiian theme played out on BWPS.

[armona]

Brian spent a tremendous amount of time on "Heroes & Villains". [There's] even a slightly longer version of the one that was released as a single, which includes several extra sections doesn't even have to begin to encompass every variation of that song.

I can't work out if Mark is suggesting here that they've unearthed a longer edit of H&V than the single release, or if he's just referring to the known array of extra Heroes sections that would effectively make up a longer track if edited together? Seriously exciting if they've found a longer vintage edit.

we have been actively doing an archive project for about 10 years, there are things that we have discovered that the bootleggers missed.

This also looks interesting although don't want to get my hopes up too much for any unbooted material.

I've seen it posted somewhere that Bruce Johnston has an acetate with an unreleased mix.

[Runaways]

i'd be shocked if cabinessence completed isn't on disc one.  It sounds like to me they're gonna put together as much as an album for disc 1 as they can. 

i also think tracks 1&2 should just be our prayer -> heroes and villains a la BWPS and purple chick.  that's the definitive version.  Save the long edits with all the extra stuff for disc 2.

[PhilCohen]

Cabin Essence should keep Carl's lead, unless they've uncovered a Dennis or Brian lead from the actual sessions.
but i hope there's a version with just the "doing-doing-doing's" too! when were those recorded?

The "Doing Doing Doing" bits were Brian's last work on "Cabinessence" during the "Smile" sessions.

[Ron]

You guys know what's going to happen right?  It's all right there in black and white.

Supposedly it's comming out IMMINENTLY.  Mark says he hasn't mixed it together yet.  ...

Soon, he'll hand the tracklisting over to powers that be at Capitol Records, and they'll print up the artwork and the boxes.

Then Mark will start wearing a firehat and have a jungle gym installed in his foyer, and we'll never see the album. 

[Ron]

Brian spent a tremendous amount of time on "Heroes & Villains". [There's] even a slightly longer version of the one that was released as a single, which includes several extra sections doesn't even have to begin to encompass every variation of that song.

I can't work out if Mark is suggesting here that they've unearthed a longer edit of H&V than the single release, or if he's just referring to the known array of extra Heroes sections that would effectively make up a longer track if edited together? Seriously exciting if they've found a longer vintage edit.

we have been actively doing an archive project for about 10 years, there are things that we have discovered that the bootleggers missed.

This also looks interesting although don't want to get my hopes up too much for any unbooted material.

I've seen it posted somewhere that Bruce Johnston has an acetate with an unreleased mix.

I've also seen Bruce mention that. 

[acedecade75]

Bruce does indeed have a "Heroes And Villains" acetate that he has spoken about multiple times.  But I don't think he's ever actualy given any specific info to fans as to what kind of mix it is.  It would really be cool if it's an unknown or "lost" mix.  Given the fact that Brian seems to be supporting this project, I would think that Bruce would be willing to make his acetate available if that particular mix is not already in the hands of those doing the project.

[guitarfool2002]

Cabin Essence should keep Carl's lead, unless they've uncovered a Dennis or Brian lead from the actual sessions.
but i hope there's a version with just the "doing-doing-doing's" too! when were those recorded?

The "Doing Doing Doing" bits were Brian's last work on "Cabinessence" during the "Smile" sessions.

This specific section appears in David Oppenheim's notes from the "Inside Pop" filming, suggesting he and CBS News had filmed a vocal session where the "doyn doyn" vocals (or Doin Doin, I forget how the notes spelled it...) were being attempted, placing at least the attempt to record that part to 1966.