Sail Plane Song

[Jonas]

No questions, just wanted to remind you this song exists...and how fuckin awesome it is.

[pixletwin]

Which version in particular are you referring to? 

[punkinhead]

This song is one of those I'd kill to be a fly on the wall...Brian on piano doing his best psychedelicacy since Smiley....Bruce on organ (where he belongs!), Denny on drums, and Carl/Al on bass and guitar, I can't remember who's doing which one, I don't have the Endless Harmony booklet with me at work 

Oh, and Mike twiddling his thumbs! 

[punkinhead]

This song is one of those I'd kill to be a fly on the wall...Brian on piano doing his best psychedelicacy since Smiley....Bruce on organ (where he belongs!), Denny on drums, and Carl/Al on bass and guitar, I can't remember who's doing which one, I don't have the Endless Harmony booklet with me at work 

Oh, and Mike twiddling his thumbs! 

I've actually read where someone considered this the Beach Boys only acid-rock tune...were they describing Sail Plane or Loop De Loop?

[Jason]

Carl was on bass, and Al was on guitar.

[punkinhead]

Carl was on bass, and Al was on guitar.

alright, I couldn't remember, I was thinkin of the Lei'd In Hawaii lineup as well when it came to that

[Roger Ryan]

I've actually read where someone considered this the Beach Boys only acid-rock tune...were they describing Sail Plane or Loop De Loop?

"Sail Plane Song
Recorded June 8, 1968 at Brian's home studio
Produced by Brian Wilson
(Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson)

Sail Plane Song is what it says on the tape box; on the tape leader it says Glide Plane Song; but by any title, it's the original version of what became Loop De Loop. Written in the heyday of the psychedelic Sixties, this is as close as Brian got to the "acid rock" being done by such San Francisco bands as Jefferson Airplane. The Beach Boys themselves are playing the instruments, not studio musicians. Carl is on bass, Alan guitar, Brian piano and Bruce organ, and it's likely Dennis on drums. And be sure to listen for Brian's imitation airplane sounds at the end of the song!"

In the liner notes from the ENDLESS HARMONY CD.

I don't see this as being any closer to "acid rock" than SMiLE and it's not at all like what the San Francisco bands were doing at the time. I like "Loop de Loop" as well, but I think the song works better a little smaller.

[phirnis]

Someone merged the verses of "Sail Plane Song" with the chorus of Alan's "Loop De Loop":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oASUOjzLc6w

Love Brian's lead vocals from that particular point in time! There's always a sense of melancholy to them and still he doesn't sound sentimental at all.

[Loaf]

My wife and I sing this to our one year old son as we "fly" him through the air. We love it.

It's not acid rock, though.

[bgas]

My wife and I sing this to our one year old son as we "fly" him through the air. We love it.

It's not acid rock, though.

Let's call it "acid pop" then.

[Jason]

Why the hell do people feel the need to try and equate what the Beach Boys were doing in 1967-68 to the psychedelic bullshit coming out of Northern California at the same time? Again, the issue of trying to justify fandom to so-called "hipper-than-thous".

[Mr. Cohen]

The most acid rock thing the Beach Boys ever did was the beginning of "California Saga".  Brian Wilson sings the opening line in a voice that sounds like a crying boy trying to sound chipper. Then Mike Love comes in with overly reassuring "mmmhhhmmm's  that are so echo drenched I imagine him as a gigantic 7 foot tall, dopey, grinning sheriff with a cowboy hat and some mean spurs on his boots. At this point, Brian retreats into the corner of the room and goes into the fetal position. Al Jardine responds by playing that looping, loopy bass line that promises us that Jardine's insanity will never end - it's as eternal as the ocean's waves. Brian is tempted to ask Al if he's trying to rewrite "California Girls", but he's too distraught. Eventually, Mike picks up Brian like he's a hand puppet and manually forces him to mouth the words "on my way!" a couple of times. Finally, the song finishes and Brian begs the band for more hard cider as compensation for his contribution.

[pixletwin]

Why the hell do people feel the need to try and equate what the Beach Boys were doing in 1967-68 to the psychedelic bullmerda coming out of Northern California at the same time? Again, the issue of trying to justify fandom to so-called "hipper-than-thous".

Pretty much. That is what is so awesome about Brian is that he is so uniquely Brian. There should be no need to put what he and the boys were doing in a box. Whether that box be labeled "Surf Rock" or "Psychedlia" or "Acid Pop" or whatever. The same could be said for VDP. They were what they were. The important thing is what we get out of it as listeners.

[Jonas]

Can we please not have a rational discussion and just enjoy the song??

[Mr. Cohen]

I will say, I like that mash-up of "Loop De Loop" & "Sail Plane Song" on the ol' Youtube. It presents an interesting contrast.

[PongHit]

I don't know if it's psychedelic, but "Mount Vernon and Fairway" is pretty dang weird.

[bossaroo]

great song. not acid rock. who wrote that liner???
i can kind of see where that description is coming from but...

this song is a great example of a real Brian gem that got tinkered with way too much, and just lost its original magic.

another example from that same CD, Brian's 'Breakaway' demo. perfect as is.

[OneEar/OneEye]

Wouldn't say it was "acid rock" either, but psychedelic, in a stripped down Syd Barrett kind of way, for sure. 
It's kind of dark and creepy like a Barrett tune too, where as Loop De Loop doesn't have that same edge.

[Myk Luhv]

I agree, this is a great little song; much better than "Loop de Loop" too, I reckon.

[Jim V.]

"Sail Plane Song" is great.

"Loop de Loop" on the other hand,  kinda sucks. It's funny in one of those interviews from like '81 the guy asks Brian why its not out or something like that, and he says something like, "well, we wanna put something good out." Which strikes me as a way of saying the song kinda sucks. I think Al just kinda took hold of a cool little Brian tune and turned it into this monstrosity that consumed him. Apparently Jack Reilly had to force him to stop work on it in '71 (which is like 3 years after "Sail Plane Song") or whatever, and then Al brings it back in the late '70s as a Christmas tune, only to finally come back to it again in the '90s, and the end result is kinda crappy. I guess the facts are Al doesn't really write too much music, so when he gets a song or project he is in control of, he really sticks on it. But yeah, its almost the equal of Al taking something like "Wake the World" (ya know, a mellow little Brian ditty), ramping up the energy, adding a bunch of dumb sound effects and spending tons of time on it. What was the point? Did he really think "Loop de Loop" was that great?

[rab2591]

"Weeeeeeeeeeee Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.........Weeeeeeeeeeee Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

For some reason that is one of my favourite parts of any Beach Boys song. I guess I like the sound of his voice as he sings it.

Props for the starting this thread! (pun intended )

[exposedbrain]

I thought I read somewhere (maybe on the Desper thread) that Brian played the drums on Sail Plane Song

[She Dont Know A Thing]

The most acid rock thing the Beach Boys ever did was the beginning of "California Saga".  Brian Wilson sings the opening line in a voice that sounds like a crying boy trying to sound chipper. Then Mike Love comes in with overly reassuring "mmmhhhmmm's  that are so echo drenched I imagine him as a gigantic 7 foot tall, dopey, grinning sheriff with a cowboy hat and some mean spurs on his boots. At this point, Brian retreats into the corner of the room and goes into the fetal position. Al Jardine responds by playing that looping, loopy bass line that promises us that Jardine's insanity will never end - it's as eternal as the ocean's waves. Brian is tempted to ask Al if he's trying to rewrite "California Girls", but he's too distraught. Eventually, Mike picks up Brian like he's a hand puppet and manually forces him to mouth the words "on my way!" a couple of times. Finally, the song finishes and Brian begs the band for more hard cider as compensation for his contribution.

Gosh Darn it this brilliant. Thank you Dada.

[Jay]

The most "acid rock" or Psychedelic the beach boys ever got is probably either All I Wanna Do, or Feel Flows.

[Mike's Beard]

Why the hell do people feel the need to try and equate what the Beach Boys were doing in 1967-68 to the psychedelic bullmerda coming out of Northern California at the same time? Again, the issue of trying to justify fandom to so-called "hipper-than-thous".

True, I dig Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape etc as much as the next guy, but what the "surfing Doris Days" were doing at the same was just as engaging.