What is and isn't a SMiLE session

[humanoidboogie]

Yes, thanks to the guidance of our friends at the Beach Boys Recording Guide, I was able to launch an appropriate home for the SMiLE info I've collected through the years.  And it has stuff to read beyond just SMiLE.

I just came across the Beach Boys Recording Guide (http://beachboysguide.smileysmile.net), thinking it was lost forever... I still feel it's a great idea having a Wiki-style Beach Boys live/sessions database. I know there's ADG's excellent site, but I think the Wiki format is perfect for this sort of thing. Are people still interested in helping out or is there no interest in this?

[JMZ]

Maybe all of you know this one, but here above is a picture from Getty Images, it says the session is from January 01, 1967.

But your lists doesn't mention such session at such date. Is the info wrong at Getty ? Is this a "hidden/unknown" session ? Was this session a fake "just to make promo shots" of the boys in the studio ?

More about it here:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/73987521/Michael-Ochs-Archives

More pictures from this session here: http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&family=editorial&assetType=image&p=beach+boys+smile&Language=en-US#2

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

That photo is from a rather wonderful set of similar photos.  January 1st is the default day Getty gives a photo that has a year attributed to it but not a specific date, so that is by no means accurate.

Still, a wonderful Color representation of what it was like to do vocal sessions at CBS.  They're so well-dressed, too.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The captions on Getty photos are notoriously inaccurate.  Those look like Pet Sounds shots to me.

[guitarfool2002]

I'm guessing Pet Sounds too, and a few of these were included in past Pet Sounds reissues too. Getty Images does get the dates wrong especially with music shots, so buyer beware!

What I like to do is brighten the hell out of shots like this and pick out all the details which were hiding in the shadows, similar to doing an OOPS mix with a recording. In the case of that series of BB's photos, check this one out:



Anytime you see those curtains in the background of a studio shot from the 60's, chances are it's from Columbia/CBS. They had a similar high ceiling/large curtain setup at their New York studio too. Note the multi-colored gobos as well: Gold Star got similar ones in the 70's which you see in some of the later shots taken there, and the color scheme is much like the baffling on Western #3's studio walls. Must have been a mid-60's design thing.

Very interesting too: Look at the floor on the bottom left. That is a Fender blackface amp head, either a Bassman, a Showman, or a Bandmaster. I'm wondering due to it's position if that's what Al Jardine was standing on for the placement of his voice to the mic, as mentioned in another thread. And seeing that amp head there in the photo makes me think it was an actual session that day, because why would they have that sitting there under an AKG C12 mic unless Al were standing on it? Just wild speculation, but it would make sense...

And I got to get me a pair of those green pants, they're stylin'.

[BiG GRiN]

"Tones" was a Carl thing, not intended for Smile, so I'd lose that.

Very nice list & info here!
About "Tones", anychance to know the correct title one day? (in the smile sessions box set?)
and do we know for sure, Carl wrote this song? do we have a session sheet? I can't remember to have found it on the net.
sorry if you have already gave the information on the borad.

[Andrew G. Doe]

"Tones" on the AFM sheets is logged as "Tones" (twice) and "Tones (pt. #3)".

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I'm guessing Pet Sounds too, and a few of these were included in past Pet Sounds reissues too. Getty Images does get the dates wrong especially with music shots, so buyer beware!

What I like to do is brighten the hell out of shots like this and pick out all the details which were hiding in the shadows, similar to doing an OOPS mix with a recording. In the case of that series of BB's photos, check this one out:



Anytime you see those curtains in the background of a studio shot from the 60's, chances are it's from Columbia/CBS. They had a similar high ceiling/large curtain setup at their New York studio too. Note the multi-colored gobos as well: Gold Star got similar ones in the 70's which you see in some of the later shots taken there, and the color scheme is much like the baffling on Western #3's studio walls. Must have been a mid-60's design thing.

Very interesting too: Look at the floor on the bottom left. That is a Fender blackface amp head, either a Bassman, a Showman, or a Bandmaster. I'm wondering due to it's position if that's what Al Jardine was standing on for the placement of his voice to the mic, as mentioned in another thread. And seeing that amp head there in the photo makes me think it was an actual session that day, because why would they have that sitting there under an AKG C12 mic unless Al were standing on it? Just wild speculation, but it would make sense...

And I got to get me a pair of those green pants, they're stylin'.

Good observations.  I agree that it's a real session--other shots show that everything is plugged in.  Maybe this is the Here Today session with "Top Please"?

CBS was a much bigger room than most everywhere else that Brian liked to record, but they certainly managed to get a nice tight vocal sound in there.

Still waiting for photos of this nature for a instrumental tracking session!!

[desmondo]

A question about the 14-Nov-1966 – 15 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – “My Only Sunshine” session

That sounds like an awful lot of musicians for a track that has a few cello players, a drummer and a sax player

Could it be something else or am I just hoping................................

[hypehat]

There are other strings on it as well, and Carol is there as evidenced on the tapes.

Or, as is more likely, it could be 'False Barnyard', which I believe is referred to as Sunshine on the tape? It does have the vocal by Mike as well...

Only thing is, that sounds like MORE than 15 musicians....

[guitarfool2002]

I'm guessing Pet Sounds too, and a few of these were included in past Pet Sounds reissues too. Getty Images does get the dates wrong especially with music shots, so buyer beware!

What I like to do is brighten the hell out of shots like this and pick out all the details which were hiding in the shadows, similar to doing an OOPS mix with a recording. In the case of that series of BB's photos, check this one out:



Anytime you see those curtains in the background of a studio shot from the 60's, chances are it's from Columbia/CBS. They had a similar high ceiling/large curtain setup at their New York studio too. Note the multi-colored gobos as well: Gold Star got similar ones in the 70's which you see in some of the later shots taken there, and the color scheme is much like the baffling on Western #3's studio walls. Must have been a mid-60's design thing.

Very interesting too: Look at the floor on the bottom left. That is a Fender blackface amp head, either a Bassman, a Showman, or a Bandmaster. I'm wondering due to it's position if that's what Al Jardine was standing on for the placement of his voice to the mic, as mentioned in another thread. And seeing that amp head there in the photo makes me think it was an actual session that day, because why would they have that sitting there under an AKG C12 mic unless Al were standing on it? Just wild speculation, but it would make sense...

And I got to get me a pair of those green pants, they're stylin'.

Good observations.  I agree that it's a real session--other shots show that everything is plugged in.  Maybe this is the Here Today session with "Top Please"?

CBS was a much bigger room than most everywhere else that Brian liked to record, but they certainly managed to get a nice tight vocal sound in there.

Still waiting for photos of this nature for a instrumental tracking session!!

Me too! I'm hoping to see more new photos in this upcoming Smile box - they photographed the Sid Sharp Strings recording at Gold Star, so where are the shots of the regular musicians anyway? It is illogical to think there isn't one studio floor shot in existence, yet we've gotten variations of the same Jasper and Guy Webster photos of Brian in the control room for years rather than that one key studio shot.

I'm almost convinced without any additional information that they would not have set up all the preamps, headphone amps, etc shown in that studio photo if it were just a photo op for the fanzines or something. They wouldn't have gone through all of that setup unless the Boys were actually recording.

[desmondo]

There are other strings on it as well, and Carol is there as evidenced on the tapes.

Or, as is more likely, it could be 'False Barnyard', which I believe is referred to as Sunshine on the tape? It does have the vocal by Mike as well...

Only thing is, that sounds like MORE than 15 musicians....

Thanks - helpful stuff