Carl playing 12-string on God Only Knows

[metal flake paint]

Just watched another excellent instalment by Behind The Sounds: God Only Knows Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTVcNsJGX0 and was intrigued to see Carl Wilson listed as playing 12-string guitar on the track. I haven't seen written evidence of this in any of the Pet Sounds liners, although I do recall Bruce saying that Carl had plugged his guitar directly into the board for GOK as there wasn't any available space in the studio. I'm quite sure that was the case for California Girls, so he may have misremembered.

Is there any solid evidence to support/refute Carl playing on the track?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Very fair point, the more so seeing as the AFM sheets don't list anyone as playing a guitar of any kind on the track (although it's possible that the second page of the contract is missing: however, comparing AFM and Capitol sheets reveals he's not one of the four MIA). Further, bending an ear to the session similarly reveals a complete absence of guitar. Odd.

[astroray]

No one likes joking around more than me , but , this is the kinda stuff I love reading about on this board.. Small details about the Beach Boys history.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Actually, there is guitar on the track.  Because of the final mix, the only way to really know that is to listen to the session tape, where guitar can not only be heard during the takes when the mix is being fiddled with, but there is some noodling between takes as well, which clearly identifies the guitar as a 12-string.  Is it Carl?  Seems likely, I guess.  He wouldn't mind not being listed on the AFM and it wouldn't be the only time that happened.

There was a time I listened to the GOK session so much and so often that I made myself physically and mentally ill, trying to figure out the bass situation...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Actually, there is guitar on the track.  Because of the final mix, the only way to really know that is to listen to the session tape, where guitar can not only be heard during the takes when the mix is being fiddled with, but there is some noodling between takes as well, which clearly identifies the guitar as a 12-string.  Is it Carl?  Seems likely, I guess.  He wouldn't mind not being listed on the AFM and it wouldn't be the only time that happened.

There was a time I listened to the GOK session so much and so often that I made myself physically and mentally ill, trying to figure out the bass situation...

Well damn - I'll have another listen. 

[rab2591]

In GOK (take 5 - (UM) you can hear the guitar being strummed at the :16 second mark - and I'm assuming the player (whether Carl or not) is practicing his part before the take - I swear I can hear that same strumming pattern in the coda of GOK on the Pet Sounds Sessions disc....it's buried in the mix, but I think I can hear it.

[c-man]

Yes, there's plenty of mid-'60s sessions with the Wrecking Crew where brother Carl was also present, his 12-string plugged directly into the board....sometimes his name was on the AFM and sometimes not.  Bruce was definitely present (although not in a perorming capacity), so it's very likely Carl was there as well, and quite probably playing on the track.

[guitarfool2002]

For the record I hear little evidence of Carl playing guitar on the final mix of that tune. Unless he's buried in the mix as he's chunking away 1/4 note rhythm chords with the keyboard instruments.

Just wanted to point out that having the guitar go direct into the board could well have been a sonic choice as well, although there are specific sessions where the guitar had to go direct due to lack of space on the studio floor. Also, just because we see a photo of a certain guitarist sitting in the booth playing, we don't see whether he's plugged into an amp in an iso booth or on the floor or not.

One of the greatest rhythm guitarists ever - Nile Rodgers - got all those incredible Strat tones by going direct into the board, where he could shape and EQ the sound as he was mixing and it was the pure sound of the guitar to work with. Now picture sending Carl's Rickenbacker 12-string direct through those awesome mid-60's preamps and opto-compressors and you have one of the definitive 12-string electric jangle tones...no amp necessary.

[Ebb and Flow]

Since it's my video, I thought I'd explain myself and chime in by saying I had a few doubts about including this credit, but since I do hear a 12-string strumming chords in the track and it was known that Carl often went unnamed on the AFM sheets I thought it was worth mentioning.  Perhaps I'll add an annotation adding "Not 100% sure about this".  I do think it's likely since it's been noted that other members of the BB's attended the session as well.

I also use Brad Elliot's Pet Sounds sessionography to augment my session info, which is where I originally saw this credit.  I don't know if it's a huge no-no to use this info, but I've found it to be pretty accurate when compared with the session tapes (Though the instruments listed are not always correct).

http://www.bradelliott.com/writings/ps3.html

[Autotune]

Who keeps the bradelliot.com domain?
I thought he'd disappeared.

[bgas]

Who keeps the bradelliot.com domain?
I thought he'd disappeared.

good question; maybe it's just "there" ?
or maybe he keeps it there and tracks people that check it? 
he's only disappeared from people trying to find him; he's out there/ not passed away, but it's bound to be a LONG time before he thinks it safe to show his face anywhere someone might actually find him( he could be reading these threads for all anyone knows)

[Andrew G. Doe]

Who keeps the bradelliot.com domain?
I thought he'd disappeared.

good question; maybe it's just "there" ?
or maybe he keeps it there and tracks people that check it? 
he's only disappeared from people trying to find him; he's out there/ not passed away, but it's bound to be a LONG time before he thinks it safe to show his face anywhere someone might actually find him( he could be reading these threads for all anyone knows)

He's around and keeping tabs on conversations where his name crops up. Some think that he posts here as Beach Head

[bgas]

Ah, I'd wondered about that ( Beach Head)

[Chris Brown]

Now that I'm listening for it, I do hear a guitar playing quarter notes in the second verse and throughout most of the rest of the song.  Never heard that before - you really learn something new every day around here!  Just goes to show Brian's brilliant sense of texturing in the arrangement.

[Ebb and Flow]

Perhaps this is a good time and place to bring up another bit of contentious session info: Does Brian play harpsichord on "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"? On some session info Mike Melvoin is credited. Brian calls out takes, but his talkback mic sounds like it's on the studio floor with the musicians.  I don't have access to the AFM sheet for this session and would like to know what it has.

Edit: I listened closer and noticed Brian talking over the harpsichord and piano several times which makes it doubtful he's playing either.  I guess that the channel his talkback mic is on had the Gold Star reverb applied to it.  It also doesn't help that the unedited session is among the muddier tracks on SOT.

[donald]

For the record I hear little evidence of Carl playing guitar on the final mix of that tune. Unless he's buried in the mix as he's chunking away 1/4 note rhythm chords with the keyboard instruments.

I think that might be it........I THINK ITS RHYTHM.........really sounds like a guitar rhythm although the sound is not readily apparent

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Unless he's buried in the mix as he's chunking away 1/4 note rhythm chords with the keyboard instruments.

That's exactly what is happening, in my opinion.

The GOK session would have been packed out on the floor with the string quartet, the harpsichord, the piano, the accordions and whatnot in addition to the rhythm section.  Oh, to have been there, eh?

Brian definitely does not play harpsichord on IJWMFTT, but it would be very interesting to know how he communicated and came up with that figure that the piano and Harpsi play.  That's the one session I'd attend if I could only use the time machine once, let me tell you.

[TdHabib]

That honky-tonk piano during the "Sometimes I feel very sad" portion of IJWMFTT is amazing, complete crazy genius.

[Andrew G. Doe]

'Kay, now I hear it... as I recall, Ray Pohlman was originally credited with guitars (plural) in the box set liners, but Brian's comments to him make it clear he's playing bass. So, guitar player, unnamed. Might be Carl, might be someone else entirely. Whatever, there's definitely a guitar on the track so mea culpa.

[metal flake paint]

Excellent work everyone! Incidentally, I first read Bruce's mention of Carl playing on GOK in a September 1990 issue of Select. I was reminded of it after seeing the video.

[Rocker]

That honky-tonk piano during the "Sometimes I feel very sad" portion of IJWMFTT is amazing, complete crazy genius.

Indeed ! Unfortunately it's not audible on the released version. I was blown away when I heard the backing track for the first time

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

That honky-tonk piano during the "Sometimes I feel very sad" portion of IJWMFTT is amazing, complete crazy genius.

Indeed ! Unfortunately it's not audible on the released version. I was blown away when I heard the backing track for the first time

Well, it's audible, but barely.

That would have t be Don Randi's own creation, I suspect.  There're a lot of pretty standard blues licks in there that Randi would have right under his fingers.

[Beach Head]

[Some think that he posts here as Beach Head

Lol! Sorry, definitely not him! Just a long-time fan.

[Jonas]

I blasted this in my headphones and cannot hear it. I tried and tried but its really hidden in there. I guess I can bust out the session tapes. Still, loved the youtube video.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I blasted this in my headphones and cannot hear it. I tried and tried but its really hidden in there. I guess I can bust out the session tapes. Still, loved the youtube video.

You know, I can usually hear buried things better at very low volumes.