Another Crew member gone - Frank Marocco. :-(

[Andrew G. Doe]

Passed away last night, aged 81. Can you conceive of "WIBN" without him and Carl Fortina on accordion ?

[Sound of Free]

It's so sad to see so many go so quickly. Once on the off-topic section of a non-Beach Boys board, someone asked why Pet Sounds was ranked as one of the best albums of all time. The poster LIKED Pet Sounds, but didn't see what was SO special about it.

I posted that Behind the Sounds link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofByti7A4uM

and said that because the Beach Boys' singing was so good, it was easy to overlook everything that was happening in the song in terms on instrumentation and arrangement. The poster said the video really explained a lot. Whoever posted those videos on YouTube did a great service.

It's a long way of saying, RIP Frank (and all the other Crew members no longer with us).

[Jay]

I just realised something. It may not happen soon, but there will be a day where every single musician who played and worked on Pet Sounds will be gone. 

[The Shift]

... and every vocalist. One of the reasons why this year, this tour, have so much importance.

[runnersdialzero]

Can you conceive of "WIBN" without him and Carl Fortina on accordion ?

Yes, I can.

























And it's not nearly as good.

But no, seriously, that's awful very sorry to hear it.

[Alan Smith]

Sad times

[Craig Boyd]

I seen this on Facebook when I got up this morning, what is that three guys that played on BB songs gone in about two weeks? Sad news indeed  

[hypehat]

Those accordions make that song.

Wonderful anecdote from him in 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - The Making of Pet Sounds' by Charles Granata..

Talking about the tremolo sound in the bridge, he says 'Carl and I played the same part in unison to make a chorusing effect. I remember that session well, because I played a triple bellow shake, quickly moving the bellows in and out to simulate a shaking sound (the imaginary violins in the bridge!). Brian really liked that, but I created a real monster, because I had to do that for the whole session one take after another. I was as sore as hell, and I remember going home saying 'Never again will I tell anyone I can do that!''

Glad you told Brian, Frank. RIP.

[guitarfool2002]

Wow, this is sad. I've said this many times, but I'll restate this: Wouldn't It Be Nice is my favorite song of all time, and what I consider to be among if not *the* best single record of the 1960's. I could go on for pages about why this is, bringing in the orchestration, the structure, the rhythmic shifts, the arrangement, the vocals, the lyrics, etc, but it's really not necessary if you sit down with someone and simply listen to it...really *listen* to the record.

And the accordions are a major part of that. What an incredible vibe, sound, and what a classic decision from young producer and arranger Brian to have them play such a prominent rhythmic role in the song.

Take an instrument which for various reasons became "unhip" and unwanted in the rock and roll world, place it in a complex, very modern arrangement, and you create magic. Such was Brian Wilson in 1966 - the man's creative energy and ideas were off the chart at this time. And he made things happen.

I play WIBN for students and others...ask them what those instruments are...never fails to amaze those listeners when it is revealed those are accordions. Yes, those unhip accordions.

One of the best pieces of audio in the entire Beach Boys-Brian Wilson collection is that few minutes of the WIBN session at Gold Star, where Brian picked up on something happening with the way the studio acoustics were interacting with the chords the accordions were playing. Most of us have heard that clip...it's a sheer luck of the draw, random moment that makes for a special record, and it's something you could try again but it can't really be duplicated.

The sound of Frank and Carl Fortina playing those accordions literally filled the room and was bouncing off the studio walls and ceiling in a way we might call transcendent: What they were playing added to the way the room was responding acoustically created a sound beyond what was being created, it added another element that someone like Brian would pick up on and would openly *strive for* in his music.

It is a glorious moment.

And it wouldn't have happened without the right people being there with the right skills and musical instincts at exactly the right time. And apart from his many credits as an accordion virtuoso, that session will always stand out for me.

RIP Frank.

http://www.frankmarocco.com/

[drbeachboy]

Wow, this is sad. I've said this many times, but I'll restate this: Wouldn't It Be Nice is my favorite song of all time, and what I consider to be among if not *the* best single record of the 1960's. I could go on for pages about why this is, bringing in the orchestration, the structure, the rhythmic shifts, the arrangement, the vocals, the lyrics, etc, but it's really not necessary if you sit down with someone and simply listen to it...really *listen* to the record.

And the accordions are a major part of that. What an incredible vibe, sound, and what a classic decision from young producer and arranger Brian to have them play such a prominent rhythmic role in the song.

Take an instrument which for various reasons became "unhip" and unwanted in the rock and roll world, place it in a complex, very modern arrangement, and you create magic. Such was Brian Wilson in 1966 - the man's creative energy and ideas were off the chart at this time. And he made things happen.

I play WIBN for students and others...ask them what those instruments are...never fails to amaze those listeners when it is revealed those are accordions. Yes, those unhip accordions.

One of the best pieces of audio in the entire Beach Boys-Brian Wilson collection is that few minutes of the WIBN session at Gold Star, where Brian picked up on something happening with the way the studio acoustics were interacting with the chords the accordions were playing. Most of us have heard that clip...it's a sheer luck of the draw, random moment that makes for a special record, and it's something you could try again but it can't really be duplicated.

The sound of Frank and Carl Fortina playing those accordions literally filled the room and was bouncing off the studio walls and ceiling in a way we might call transcendent: What they were playing added to the way the room was responding acoustically created a sound beyond what was being created, it added another element that someone like Brian would pick up on and would openly *strive for* in his music.

It is a glorious moment.

And it wouldn't have happened without the right people being there with the right skills and musical instincts at exactly the right time. And apart from his many credits as an accordion virtuoso, that session will always stand out for me.

RIP Frank.

http://www.frankmarocco.com/

Great post! Until Wouldn't It Be Nice, who even knew that accordians could rock.

My favorite song ever, as well.

[SG7]

I just realised something. It may not happen soon, but there will be a day where every single musician who played and worked on Pet Sounds will be gone. 

Yes, but they are  part of something that many generations will get to hear. The music will live on. 

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Another blow.  Well, if you believe in an afterlife, the house band is getting better by the day.

[Wirestone]

Frank Marocco -- an accordionist on Wouldn't it Be Nice, and a member of the L.A. studio crew, died March 3.

Condolences to all.

http://www.frankmarocco.com/