15 Big Ones Remix

[SMiLE Brian]

I recently got high end headphones and came to a revelation: 15 Big Ones would be a better album if remixed. When listening to this album, I hear interesting musical parts burried in the mix that would greatly improve this album if remixed.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

There's some 'material' floating around the net that features alternate mixes of the 15BO album. To be honest, it proves your theory correct.

[SMiLE Brian]

I just love how Brian recreated the "wall of sound" with Synths on "just once in my life" and rocking Palisades park.

[Shady]

I could listen to "had to phone ya" through a paper cup and string and it would still sound great

[roll plymouth rock]

ha i originally read this as this: 

I recently got high and came to a revelation: 15 Big Ones would be a better album if remixed.

i agree tho, 15 big ones is pretty cool in theory

[SMiLE Brian]

ha i originally read this as this: 

I recently got high and came to a revelation: 15 Big Ones would be a better album if remixed.

i agree tho, 15 big ones is pretty cool in theory

 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

The backing track om Had to Phone Ya is phenomenal. Really. the vocals are what kills the album (and pretty much every album until BB85, which generally was *saved* by the vocals).

[Wirestone]

Lots of great stuff on the 15 BO tracks. Not just the orchestral-style ones. Sadly, Brian was less than uninterested in mixing the record properly (which is probably why Carl took the job for Love You).

[Craig Boyd]

The backing track om Had to Phone Ya is phenomenal. Really. the vocals are what kills the album (and pretty much every album until BB85, which generally was *saved* by the vocals).

Agreed, I always wondered why they let all those songs out when the backing vocals sounded like they were recorded on a little cassette player, I'll never understand that. Compare Keepin' The Summer Alive from Knebworth to the studio version and think what could have been, I think it had hit potential if it had been recorded and mixed properly.

On about 15 Big Ones, didn't Dennis say something about them sounding like the Vienna Boys Choir on their next release but 15BO's came out, what was the deal with that? I'm sure the "Maw maw miama glory" bit from TLOS originally came about during that time too, Mike talks about it in the famous Rolling Stone interview. You just wonder what could have been instead of 15BO's (which does have its moments admittedly)

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

These tracks were already in the can (or were being worked on) in the time period before 15 BO came out...

Angel Come Home/Gold Rush/Lisa/Secret Love/10,000 Years Ago/Workin' In A Coal Mine/Sea Cruise/Mony Mony/Come Go With Me/Clangin/Shortenin' Bread (the 'good' version, which dates from 1974)/Good Timin/California Feelin'/Ding Dang/Rollin Up To Heaven (yes, they are different songs....Ding Dang was from '73). Throw that in with the tracks that were released. There could've been a better release.

[adamghost]

I recently got high end headphones and came to a revelation: 15 Big Ones would be a better album if remixed. When listening to this album, I hear interesting musical parts burried in the mix that would greatly improve this album if remixed.

Alan Boyd's been saying this, repeatedly, for a while now.  You're in illustrious company in your opinion.

[Wirestone]

I recently got high end headphones and came to a revelation: 15 Big Ones would be a better album if remixed. When listening to this album, I hear interesting musical parts burried in the mix that would greatly improve this album if remixed.

Alan Boyd's been saying this, repeatedly, for a while now.  You're in illustrious company in your opinion.

This is true of a number of Beach Boys and Brian Wilson projects. Let's run down some of them now (for fun).

-----

Pet Sounds -- This is Brian's best record, yet his mix is not really preferred these days, is it? The stereo mix has become, for many folks, the standard way to hear this album.

Wild Honey -- Too muddy. The clarity of stereo would do wonders.

15 Big Ones -- We've covered this.

MIU Album -- I've come to feel that this album could really benefit from having someone not named Al Jardine tweak the backing tracks. It all sounds very bland and same-y.

Imagination -- I've felt like a simple remix of this that boosted the bass would make for a far more listenable record. And how about mixing out some of the acoustic guitar filigrees? Some songs ("Dream Angel") feature Brian arrangements buried under AC slush. I'd love to have Mark, Brian and Darian tackle this.

Gettin' in Over My Head -- Just like 15 BO, it sounds rushed and messy in the mixing. Would love, again, to have some folks in Brian's band massage the backing tracks on this one. Also, add some pitch correction here and there. Maybe replace a vocal line or two. We wouldn't have to tell anyone.

Really, it's amazing that there have been as many bad mixes on BW/BB albums as there are. It seems no one cares once the tracks are cut!

[Summertime Blooz]

Not a remix, but I cut the treble back on BW88 before I put it on my Ipod. The vocals were just shrill and it sounds much better with some high end taken off.

[Alan Smith]

-----

Pet Sounds -- This is Brian's best record, yet his mix is not really preferred these days, is it? The stereo mix has become, for many folks, the standard way to hear this album.

Nah, I'd say it's popular, but not the standard.  The mono mix is first on the CD and current vinyl is mono - so I'd say more people will hear the huge boom of the drums in Wouldn't it BN, over Mark L's (excellent) mix.

Perhaps a different story for those purchasing via downloaded the tracks etc, but traditional releases favour the mono - which is cool by me as I think it's a bit punchier, anyway.

[KokoNO]

The Pet Sounds mixes are like night and day....usually when hearing an album in both mono and stereo, I'll be like "ah, this is clearly stereo and there's a few differences here..."

Mono Pet Sounds is like listening to the great, unreleased Phil Spector album. The stereo mix sounds like they were listening to Sgt. Pepper's before jumping into the studio. Two totally different experiences.

[Dunderhead]

I got the impression from a recent comment Mark made that they were planning on releasing an original mix of this album....I hope they follow through

[RONDEMON]

Funny coincidence. I have this odd pair of headphones that plays out of phase and so you can hear a lot of buried things in mixes (which I love) and when listening to MIU, the backing tracks are really fantastic.

There's a lot of subtle 12-string stuff/celeste/horn work on Wontcha Come Out Tonight. It's SO buried though.
The tracks actually remind me of the Today/Summer Nights sessions but sans reverb. Their late 70s stuff is really dry sounding and wouldn't be so bad if they mixed some of the inaudible instruments higher in the mix. The arrangements are surprisingly complex too. I wonder who mixed that LP.

I wish there was a way for me to upload some of this stuff through my bizarre headphones....

[SMiLE Brian]

I recently got high end headphones and came to a revelation: 15 Big Ones would be a better album if remixed. When listening to this album, I hear interesting musical parts burried in the mix that would greatly improve this album if remixed.

Alan Boyd's been saying this, repeatedly, for a while now.  You're in illustrious company in your opinion.

Thats good to hear, a new remaster could do wonders for this album.

[Myk Luhv]

I remember hearing an excerpt of a radio interview with Brian where they talk about their upcoming album -- what would end up being 15 Big Ones and what was to be (at the time) I think a double-LP, one side of originals and the other of oldies -- and then they play a snippet of what I presume is Brian's mix of "Rock & Roll Music". goshdarn! That was a cookin' bit! It had a duelling guitar solo and just sounded a lot more like actual rock'n'roll compared to what we eventually got (the whole album). Who decided it needed a remix anyway? Brian himself? Carl? Some Warner folks?

[adamghost]

Mono Pet Sounds is like listening to the great, unreleased Phil Spector album.

Which means Mono Pet Sounds is kinda like being single...

[Klay]

I remember hearing an excerpt of a radio interview with Brian where they talk about their upcoming album -- what would end up being 15 Big Ones and what was to be (at the time) I think a double-LP, one side of originals and the other of oldies -- and then they play a snippet of what I presume is Brian's mix of "Rock & Roll Music". goshdarn! That was a cookin' bit! It had a duelling guitar solo and just sounded a lot more like actual rock'n'roll compared to what we eventually got (the whole album). Who decided it needed a remix anyway? Brian himself? Carl? Some Warner folks?

I just gave this another listen and it's a GREAT version of the song. It got me wondering whether that's even the same take as the released one; in addition to some parts that I only hear on one or the other version, the radio tape has a whole verse ("Don't care to hear 'em play a tango...") that was eventually dropped. Any thoughts?

Also, I was reading about Brian having recorded Come to the Sunshine in October 1975 via AGD's site: "Recorded with Van Dyke Parks - Brian wanted to include the song on 15 Big Ones, but reportedly couldn't locate the master." Does anyone know anything more about this, like if it's even in their tape library? Another track that I hope sees the light of day soon.

[18thofMay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgFKN1sOuas

Not a bad live version!!

[Boiled Egg]

I could listen to "had to phone ya" through a paper cup and string and it would still sound great

I'll yell a harmony to that. Hear, hear.

[Steve Mayo]

I remember hearing an excerpt of a radio interview with Brian where they talk about their upcoming album -- what would end up being 15 Big Ones and what was to be (at the time) I think a double-LP, one side of originals and the other of oldies -- and then they play a snippet of what I presume is Brian's mix of "Rock & Roll Music". goshdarn! That was a cookin' bit! It had a duelling guitar solo and just sounded a lot more like actual rock'n'roll compared to what we eventually got (the whole album). Who decided it needed a remix anyway? Brian himself? Carl? Some Warner folks?

Also, I was reading about Brian having recorded Come to the Sunshine in October 1975 via AGD's site: "Recorded with Van Dyke Parks - Brian wanted to include the song on 15 Big Ones, but reportedly couldn't locate the master." Does anyone know anything more about this, like if it's even in their tape library? Another track that I hope sees the light of day soon.

try this... http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,10376.50.html

reply 56 of the thread

[runnersdialzero]

The backing track om Had to Phone Ya is phenomenal. Really. the vocals are what kills the album (and pretty much every album until BB85, which generally was *saved* by the vocals).

I wouldn't say the actual performance is what "kills" it. Granted this is late 70s Beach Boys, the vocals had taken a blow or two by then, but I still like the performance just fine - the mix just doesn't do the song any justice, especially the vocals kind of drowning everything else out.