SMiLE '88

[Jim V.]

So, when Mark Linett was asked to get the SMiLE tapes back out in 1988, what exactly were The Beach Boys intentions?

Were they just gonna release a one disc regular CD called SMiLE with the songs, some finished, some not....or were the really thinking that Brian was gonna all of the sudden "finish" the album? Because from some articles I've read, they made it sound it like he was gonna go back into the studio and finish it. Imagine how weird that would have been. I suppose it might have worked if all they were gonna do was like record the verse vocals for "Do You Like Worms" and "Child Is Father Of The Man" and vocals for "Barnyard" "I'm In Great Shape". But then again, made they would've added sweet '80s synths and crashing drums.

But yeah, was the bootleg that's out there claiming to be the Linett tapes or whatever, was that just what he had at the time or was that a proposed tracklisting? I notice that "I'm In Great Shape" doesn't appear.

[JohnMill]

Someone up the chain might know more but just based on my knowledge by what has been put into print "SMiLE 88" was very vague.  I think like an archival project, the first order of business was for someone (in this case Linett) to go through the vaults and determine was existed.  You might remember that as late as the early eighties, rumors still persisted that Brian had burned a lot of the SMiLE tapes (particularly the "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" session).  So Linett went into the vault and eventually came out with a listing of around twenty tracks.  These tracks would later form the basis of the Vigotone bootleg and most (although not all of them) are on that Linett reference tape as well.

Linett also from what I understand did some work on the tapes in 1988 as he put together that "Heroes and Villains" (Sections) piece that is on the GV set and also unedited on the Vigotone bootleg.  He also apparently created a fresh mix for "Child Is Father Of The Man".  There were other more simplistic edits done as well such as attaching the H&V intro to "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" and attaching the "Surf's Up" trax with the vox (Brian's demo).  He may have also created mixes for "Vega-Tables" and "Do You Like Worms?" during this time as well although I can't speak to that.  Come to think of it there are also some funky mixes of "Good Vibrations" on that Linett tape although I have no idea what their origin is?

As far as your comments on the contemporary articles, I got the impression that there might have been something in the works as far as adding new parts to the "SMiLE" tapes as well but again these references overall seemed extremely convoluted.  

But yeah, was the bootleg that's out there claiming to be the Linett tapes or whatever, was that just what he had at the time or was that a proposed tracklisting? I notice that "I'm In Great Shape" doesn't appear.

Shape apparently wasn't located until over a decade later during the trove of the vaults resulting in HAWTHORNE.  The bootleg that claims to be a Linett reference tape is probably just that.  It doesn't match the Capitol Tape Box Memo which apparently was the source for the Vigotone bootleg.  That being said I'm not sure if "SMiLE 88'" ever got to the point where there would be discussing proposed tracklistings.  I mean "Been Way Too Long" is on both the Tape Box Memo and the bootleg you mentioned isn't it?  That was thought to be a SMiLE recording at the time and was later proved to be otherwise.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just to make things crystal clear, calling this tape "the Linett bootleg" might be a convenient handle but implies he had something to do with it leaking - this is entirely untrue: Mark has never been the source of any material that later turned up on boots.

[The Heartical Don]

So, when Mark Linett was asked to get the SMiLE tapes back out in 1988, what exactly were The Beach Boys intentions?

Were they just gonna release a one disc regular CD called SMiLE with the songs, some finished, some not....or were the really thinking that Brian was gonna all of the sudden "finish" the album? Because from some articles I've read, they made it sound it like he was gonna go back into the studio and finish it. Imagine how weird that would have been. I suppose it might have worked if all they were gonna do was like record the verse vocals for "Do You Like Worms" and "Child Is Father Of The Man" and vocals for "Barnyard" "I'm In Great Shape". But then again, made they would've added sweet '80s synths and crashing drums.

But yeah, was the bootleg that's out there claiming to be the Linett tapes or whatever, was that just what he had at the time or was that a proposed tracklisting? I notice that "I'm In Great Shape" doesn't appear.

SMiLE '88 - arranger and executive producer: Eugene Landy.

The stuff of nightmares.

[willy]

SMiLE '88 - arranger and executive producer: Eugene Landy.
The stuff of nightmares.

"With additional lyrics, arrangements and backing vocals by Eugene Landy, Alexandra Morgan, and Kevin Leslie."  

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Yes, I can just imagine it.

New Linn-Drum overdubs and horrible 80's synths

And of course the lyrical re-writes

Do You Like Therapy?

Who Locked The Iron Fridge

Gene Is Father To The Brian

My Most Lucrative Vega-Table
 
And the legendary

Mrs O'Landy's Cash Cow

[guitarfool2002]

So, when Mark Linett was asked to get the SMiLE tapes back out in 1988, what exactly were The Beach Boys intentions?

I wish I could remember where or what it was, but there is at least one interview where Mark Linett himself gives the history of getting those Smile tapes back in '88. Maybe a bit of a Google search will find it.

I do remember reading elsewhere that he had worked with Carl previously on David Lee Roth's "California Girls" cover, then a few years later as he was calling a studio to book time for someone else, the person at the studio said Brian Wilson was coming in tomorrow and they needed an engineer for the session. That was for the Brian solo album, and how he got involved with Brian and the BB's. Good Timing indeed!

Again forgetting exactly where it was, there should be an interview somewhere mentioning Landy or Landy's assistant(s) bringing in the Smile tapes.

[Mr. Wilson]

On the 90"s box set wasnt there some small vocal overdubs done to the smile tapes..Cant remember what track it was but i hear a DIT DIT DIT DIT goin higher + higher with Bruce up in mix.. On the boots of the time it wasnt there i believe.. Mark didnt boot it someone stole a copy like the pizza tapes Jerry Garcia + David Grissman..

[guitarfool2002]

On the 90"s box set wasnt there some small vocal overdubs done to the smile tapes..Cant remember what track it was but i hear a DIT DIT DIT DIT goin higher + higher with Bruce up in mix.. On the boots of the time it wasnt there i believe.. Mark didnt boot it someone stole a copy like the pizza tapes Jerry Garcia + David Grissman..

I don't believe any overdubs were added to the Smile tapes for the box set. If anything, there were different versions of familiar songs found and used which have parts or sections unique to that box set, such as the beginning of Do You Like Worms which has a "la la la" vocal which is only found on that box set. None of the other versions have it.

But I don't think any modern overdubs were added to Smile material on the box. If I'm wrong, I'll be very disappointed.

[Andrew G. Doe]

On the 90"s box set wasnt there some small vocal overdubs done to the smile tapes...

No. No new recording was done for the 1993 box at all.

[guitarfool2002]

The question becomes how did they keep Bruce and Al away from the master tapes so they couldn't add those new vocal overdubs they've been considering adding since the early 70's?

[Mike's Beard]

I don't know about Bruce but if I wanted to stop Al getting his hands on the mastertapes, I'd just place them on the top shelf and hide the stepladder.

[hypehat]

I'd just let him work on them, tbh, if it took Brian 37 years to 'finish' it, Al won't be done until the next century.

[SMiLE Brian]

I'd just let him work on them, tbh, if it took Brian 37 years to 'finish' it, Al won't be done until the next century.

Will never understand why Al worked on Loop De Loop for so long...

[Bicyclerider]

On the 90"s box set wasnt there some small vocal overdubs done to the smile tapes..Cant remember what track it was but i hear a DIT DIT DIT DIT goin higher + higher with Bruce up in mix.. On the boots of the time it wasnt there i believe.. Mark didnt boot it someone stole a copy like the pizza tapes Jerry Garcia + David Grissman..

No one had to steal it, Landy was very loose with the Linnett tapes - as well as the Sweet Insanity tapes, hence the bootleg of that.

[joshferrell]

I'm wondering if back in the late 60's early 70's when they finished "surf's up" and "cabinessence" if they added vocals to other songs,,,

[guitarfool2002]

No one had to steal it, Landy was very loose with the Linnett tapes - as well as the Sweet Insanity tapes, hence the bootleg of that.

Add that to the list of other things he was apparently loose with, among them:

- The truth
- Ethics
- Accurate songwriting credits
- Prescriptions
- Brian's money
- The Hippocratic Oath

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

My Most Lucrative Vega-Table

Wow...