20/20 Redux!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I was reading the vocal credits thread a while ago and it struck me that, in terms of released albums and material, from 1966 onwards (thus excluding the Smile sessions) the vocals on their albums became increasingly more shared between them but also complex too: in terms of trading off individual lines rather than just whole verses, combining two voices for a line and then going to someone else for the next line or half a verse, and so on -- that kind of thing. Maybe I'm just missing something in their earlier stuff or it's simply more subtle -- and I don't mean to suggest, say, that Today! or Pet Sounds (or the sessions for Smile obviously) are not vocally complex -- but that is the impression I had, that they got perhaps even more obviously complex after Pet Sounds. This does seem initially to be counter-intuitive, however, but perhaps that's just because it goes against the grain of the dominant story of the group?

This isn't really on point, but it made me think of something.  In 2006, for a show, I had to deconstruct and make individual harmony charts (well, ersatz charts...I can't actually write music) for a bunch of songs, including several Beach Boys songs.  When I was able to tease out the vocals on "Wouldn't It Be Nice", particularly the bridge...I was literally awestruck.  I don't know quite how to explain it to a non-musician, but Brian had managed to create six moving parts that were never parallel octaves (in other words, little or no duplicated notes) that nonetheless made perfect harmonic sense both to the harmony movement and to the underlying chord.

This is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to do.  And you don't pull something like that off unless you are really, really trying to pull something like that off.  When I realized what Brian had done with that vocal arrangement, it practically screamed ambition...someone working their butt off trying to do something special.  It's not like anyone is going to notice what you pulled off technically.  I only noticed because I had the a capella tracks right there and I have good ears and I had written all the parts down.  But with all the notes in front of you you could see clearly what was in Brian's mind when he was writing it.  The guy was trying to climb Everest compositionally.

The very next song I broke down the vocals for was "Do It Again."  Two years later, another Brian arrangement.  And just as clearly as "Wouldn't It Be Nice"'s compositional structure screamed out a young man sweating blood to prove himself, "Do It Again" said: "I'm phoning it in."  Not that there was anything at all wrong with it.  It's a nice song, and a good arrangement.  But harmonically, everything he did in the vocal arrangement was totally by the numbers.  Pretty, competent, but the contrast between what I had just transcribed...a song done just two years earlier...couldn't have been more striking.

Transcribing the vocal arrangements to those two songs back to back told me as much about what happened with Brian, and the group, in the late '60s as anything I'd ever heard or read.

I can't agree more about the vocals for Wouldn't It Be Nice! But, I think it might (in part) come down to Do It Again just being a fun little rockin song, while Wouldn't It be Nice is a compositional, lyrical, performance masterpiece for the ages. Not that the same sort of creative passion and blood can't be devoted to less than A++++ material, but maybe it's not necessary. For my ears, Do It Again just sounds fun and light and rockin, and with a lot of creative energy going into the musical performances, and Brian's high harmony is indeed killer, if simple, and Mike's cool/confident but laid back lead, just kills it.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

There has been a lot of talk on this board lately about whether Our Prayer should come first or last on Smile, but no one is arguing that it should come second last because, well, that's kind of ridiculous.

Why is that ridiculous? My old fanboy SMiLE mixes had Prayer second last and Good Vibrations last. Or do you mean arguing about it is ridiculous?

Fair enough. It's still ridiculous.

[MBE]

I think Surfin USA
Shut Down 2
All Summer Long
Today
Summer Days
Pet Sounds
Wild Honey
Friends
20/20
Sunflower
are the best LP's with the three JR era ones coming close.

[Jonas]

There has been a lot of talk on this board lately about whether Our Prayer should come first or last on Smile, but no one is arguing that it should come second last because, well, that's kind of ridiculous.

Why is that ridiculous? My old fanboy SMiLE mixes had Prayer second last and Good Vibrations last. Or do you mean arguing about it is ridiculous?

Fair enough. It's still ridiculous.

[Chris Brown]

I was reading the vocal credits thread a while ago and it struck me that, in terms of released albums and material, from 1966 onwards (thus excluding the Smile sessions) the vocals on their albums became increasingly more shared between them but also complex too: in terms of trading off individual lines rather than just whole verses, combining two voices for a line and then going to someone else for the next line or half a verse, and so on -- that kind of thing. Maybe I'm just missing something in their earlier stuff or it's simply more subtle -- and I don't mean to suggest, say, that Today! or Pet Sounds (or the sessions for Smile obviously) are not vocally complex -- but that is the impression I had, that they got perhaps even more obviously complex after Pet Sounds. This does seem initially to be counter-intuitive, however, but perhaps that's just because it goes against the grain of the dominant story of the group?

This isn't really on point, but it made me think of something.  In 2006, for a show, I had to deconstruct and make individual harmony charts (well, ersatz charts...I can't actually write music) for a bunch of songs, including several Beach Boys songs.  When I was able to tease out the vocals on "Wouldn't It Be Nice", particularly the bridge...I was literally awestruck.  I don't know quite how to explain it to a non-musician, but Brian had managed to create six moving parts that were never parallel octaves (in other words, little or no duplicated notes) that nonetheless made perfect harmonic sense both to the harmony movement and to the underlying chord.

This is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to do.  And you don't pull something like that off unless you are really, really trying to pull something like that off.  When I realized what Brian had done with that vocal arrangement, it practically screamed ambition...someone working their butt off trying to do something special.  It's not like anyone is going to notice what you pulled off technically.  I only noticed because I had the a capella tracks right there and I have good ears and I had written all the parts down.  But with all the notes in front of you you could see clearly what was in Brian's mind when he was writing it.  The guy was trying to climb Everest compositionally.

The very next song I broke down the vocals for was "Do It Again."  Two years later, another Brian arrangement.  And just as clearly as "Wouldn't It Be Nice"'s compositional structure screamed out a young man sweating blood to prove himself, "Do It Again" said: "I'm phoning it in."  Not that there was anything at all wrong with it.  It's a nice song, and a good arrangement.  But harmonically, everything he did in the vocal arrangement was totally by the numbers.  Pretty, competent, but the contrast between what I had just transcribed...a song done just two years earlier...couldn't have been more striking.

Transcribing the vocal arrangements to those two songs back to back told me as much about what happened with Brian, and the group, in the late '60s as anything I'd ever heard or read.

Fantastic insight Adam.  I had a similar experience recently when recording a vocals only version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice."  The bridge in particular floored me as well.  I'd never done a recording with that many vocal tracks before, and hearing all the individual parts come together is just magical.  It was one of many moments I've had where I "unlocked" something amazing that Brian wrote, and all I could do is shake my head in awe.  Like you said, Brian was definitely trying to floor people, showing off what he could do. 

Even though he did some excellent vocal arrangements later on in his career, he never wrote/arranged with such ambition again.

[Micha]

There has been a lot of talk on this board lately about whether Our Prayer should come first or last on Smile, but no one is arguing that it should come second last because, well, that's kind of ridiculous.

Why is that ridiculous? My old fanboy SMiLE mixes had Prayer second last and Good Vibrations last. Or do you mean arguing about it is ridiculous?

Fair enough. It's still ridiculous.

That's some attitude you have there. Pretty much self-indulgent. I can't take YOU seriously. (If that is grammatically correct - or is it "take somebody serious"?)

[Mike's Beard]

Actually, I put on 20/20 and I thought "God this is crap!". I then realised I'd actually put in MIU by mistake................

[Chocolate Shake Man]

There has been a lot of talk on this board lately about whether Our Prayer should come first or last on Smile, but no one is arguing that it should come second last because, well, that's kind of ridiculous.

Why is that ridiculous? My old fanboy SMiLE mixes had Prayer second last and Good Vibrations last. Or do you mean arguing about it is ridiculous?

Fair enough. It's still ridiculous.

That's some attitude you have there. Pretty much self-indulgent. I can't take YOU seriously. (If that is grammatically correct - or is it "take somebody serious"?)

Ouch. Of course, you can program your mix however you want.

But seriously, track listings on albums (good albums, at least) typically have a certain kind of logic to them. There's a reason, for example, why Revolver begins with Taxman and ends with Tomorrow Never Knows. And, it doesn't take much to conclude that "Our Prayer" how no logical place in the Smile tracklisting anywhere other than on top or on bottom. And, this logic is reinforced by the fact that we have crucial figures (Brian Wilson and Michael Vosse) who suggest that the track falls into those slots.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I think Our Prayer works perfectly 2nd to last on 20/20. It works as a sort of intro to Cabinessence and also an outro for the whole album, but then followed by the staggering work of art that is Cabinessence. Or if you like, we come out of the creepiness of Never Learn Not To Love and into the solace and positivity of Our Prayer.

[rab2591]

There has been a lot of talk on this board lately about whether Our Prayer should come first or last on Smile, but no one is arguing that it should come second last because, well, that's kind of ridiculous.

Why is that ridiculous? My old fanboy SMiLE mixes had Prayer second last and Good Vibrations last. Or do you mean arguing about it is ridiculous?

Fair enough. It's still ridiculous.

That's some attitude you have there. Pretty much self-indulgent. I can't take YOU seriously. (If that is grammatically correct - or is it "take somebody serious"?)

Ouch. Of course, you can program your mix however you want.

But seriously, track listings on albums (good albums, at least) typically have a certain kind of logic to them. There's a reason, for example, why Revolver begins with Taxman and ends with Tomorrow Never Knows. And, it doesn't take much to conclude that "Our Prayer" how no logical place in the Smile tracklisting anywhere other than on top or on bottom. And, this logic is reinforced by the fact that we have crucial figures (Brian Wilson and Michael Vosse) who suggest that the track falls into those slots.

Isn't it an unwritten rule here that anything surrounding the Beach Boys defies any sort of logic?

[Jonas]

Actually, I put on 20/20 and I thought "God this is crap!". I then realised I'd actually put in MIU by mistake................

[adamghost]

I was reading the vocal credits thread a while ago and it struck me that, in terms of released albums and material, from 1966 onwards (thus excluding the Smile sessions) the vocals on their albums became increasingly more shared between them but also complex too: in terms of trading off individual lines rather than just whole verses, combining two voices for a line and then going to someone else for the next line or half a verse, and so on -- that kind of thing. Maybe I'm just missing something in their earlier stuff or it's simply more subtle -- and I don't mean to suggest, say, that Today! or Pet Sounds (or the sessions for Smile obviously) are not vocally complex -- but that is the impression I had, that they got perhaps even more obviously complex after Pet Sounds. This does seem initially to be counter-intuitive, however, but perhaps that's just because it goes against the grain of the dominant story of the group?

This isn't really on point, but it made me think of something.  In 2006, for a show, I had to deconstruct and make individual harmony charts (well, ersatz charts...I can't actually write music) for a bunch of songs, including several Beach Boys songs.  When I was able to tease out the vocals on "Wouldn't It Be Nice", particularly the bridge...I was literally awestruck.  I don't know quite how to explain it to a non-musician, but Brian had managed to create six moving parts that were never parallel octaves (in other words, little or no duplicated notes) that nonetheless made perfect harmonic sense both to the harmony movement and to the underlying chord.

This is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to do.  And you don't pull something like that off unless you are really, really trying to pull something like that off.  When I realized what Brian had done with that vocal arrangement, it practically screamed ambition...someone working their butt off trying to do something special.  It's not like anyone is going to notice what you pulled off technically.  I only noticed because I had the a capella tracks right there and I have good ears and I had written all the parts down.  But with all the notes in front of you you could see clearly what was in Brian's mind when he was writing it.  The guy was trying to climb Everest compositionally.

The very next song I broke down the vocals for was "Do It Again."  Two years later, another Brian arrangement.  And just as clearly as "Wouldn't It Be Nice"'s compositional structure screamed out a young man sweating blood to prove himself, "Do It Again" said: "I'm phoning it in."  Not that there was anything at all wrong with it.  It's a nice song, and a good arrangement.  But harmonically, everything he did in the vocal arrangement was totally by the numbers.  Pretty, competent, but the contrast between what I had just transcribed...a song done just two years earlier...couldn't have been more striking.

Transcribing the vocal arrangements to those two songs back to back told me as much about what happened with Brian, and the group, in the late '60s as anything I'd ever heard or read.

Fantastic insight Adam.  I had a similar experience recently when recording a vocals only version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice."  The bridge in particular floored me as well.  I'd never done a recording with that many vocal tracks before, and hearing all the individual parts come together is just magical.  It was one of many moments I've had where I "unlocked" something amazing that Brian wrote, and all I could do is shake my head in awe.  Like you said, Brian was definitely trying to floor people, showing off what he could do.  

Even though he did some excellent vocal arrangements later on in his career, he never wrote/arranged with such ambition again.

OK, this just reminded me of a funny story.

I was actually at the taping of Al Jardine's interview for the Pet Sounds DVD at Capitol...I even got to ask a question.  After it was done, Al was just hanging around and he started talking about WIBN and how much he LOVED the bridge, and he starts going "what the heck were the chords on that bridge?"  He couldn't remember.  So Al, myself, and Alan Boyd, ran around the basement of Capitol until we found a piano and we sat there arguing about the chords for the bridge for about two minutes.  I don't think any of us had it right (though Al was definitely closest).  But Al wouldn't stop talking about how awesome the bridge was.  He LOVED it.

The chord structure IS awesome.  It's a simple four chord pattern but it's how the chords relate to each other and fall back on one another that's brilliant in its simplicity.

BTW, that same day, Al kept talking about the white goat on that PET SOUNDS cover.  Apparently that particular animal was vicious and made all their lives miserable, particularly ironic because the band got a bad rap on that photo session for "abusing the animals."

Anyhows, Al was on his way out of the building and I happened to be right behind him and when he got to the framed cover of PET SOUNDS on the wall he stopped and looked at that photo one more time, and sighed and said, for the third or fourth time, something like, "that damn white goat..."

After a brief pause, I looked at him and said:  "Al, that goat is dead now."

Al looked at me, burst out laughing, and said "thanks."  Then he walked out the door.

[buddhahat]

BTW, that same day, Al kept talking about the white goat on that PET SOUNDS cover.  Apparently that particular animal was vicious and made all their lives miserable, particularly ironic because the band got a bad rap on that photo session for "abusing the animals."

Anyhows, Al was on his way out of the building and I happened to be right behind him and when he got to the framed cover of PET SOUNDS on the wall he stopped and looked at that photo one more time, and sighed and said, for the third or fourth time, something like, "that damn white goat..."

After a brief pause, I looked at him and said:  "Al, that goat is dead now."

Al looked at me, burst out laughing, and said "thanks."  Then he walked out the door.

awesome story