Beach Boys publication — Endless Summer Quarterly

[ESQ Editor]

This is a questions for subscribers of Endless Summer Quarterly.

What would you like to see in the magazine this year?

This is a serious inquiry.

[c-man]

More great interviews & info that can't be found elsewhere...like the recent feature on the TWGMTR album:  interviews with the guys, Joe Thomas, and Gary Griffin.  If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have known that parts of that album were recorded at Gary's studio, 'cause there was no mention of it in the album credits!

[Kirk]

Totally agree: the "making of" interviews are fascinating because the info is so fresh. Articles on obscurities such as the Mike/Dean 83 tour issue a couple of years ago are great bc no biography is ever going to cover stuff like that.

I'm not even sure this is possible, but my pipe dream is a piece on the 12/23/61 gig at the Rendezvous Ballroom. I've never seen a pic from it and only fuzzy description of what it was like, what besides "Surfin'" was on the two-song (?) intermission set list, how the BBs felt afterward. This was apparently Al's one and only show as a stand-up bassist; according to Carl in some mid-60s interviews it was right after this gig that Brian bought his Fender and amp and took over the bass lines. The tepid response of the Dale crowd supposedly crushed Brian (or at least that's what I remember Timothy White writing). I offer this suggestion realizing the likelihood of unearthing a pic or drumming up some long-buried memories from Mike, Al, or Brian (yeah, right) is unlikely. But I've always wanted more specifics about this first gig---especially considering the Long Beach show a week later was long considered their debut. I'm guessing more specifics don't exist....

Some other ideas just off the top of my head: "back in the day" stories from fans in the 60s and 70s about gigs, meeting the band, fandom in general; something on Joe Knott of "Add Some Music to Your Day" co-author fame (where is he now?); something on the 35th of MIU and  the 25th of BW (Holy hell---it's been 25 years since BW... that is depressing); a piece from Ian on the ends of the earth he went to researching his forthcoming book; something on the making of In Concert since this is the 40th; and minutiae minutiae minutiae.

I have to say, I really dig ESQ. I learn a lot with every issue.


 

[Alan Smith]

I'm only into my 2nd year of ESQ, so unsure if the following was covered in the past; One of the key things I enjoy hearing are  the perspectives and recollections of veteran fans and their takes on the TWGMTR, the Smile set and (in anticipation of) the box set.

Having recently read 2 eulogy threads that provide touching tributes for people who's actions contributed to protecting history and inspiring fandom - it may be a good opportunity to "recollect" on the emergence of the hard-core BB collector scene and it's players - how it worked/interacted compared to the current faceless ebay/file share/officially sanctioned collectible marketplace, and the important role it played in maintaining BB fandom/historical knowledge.

Not sure how practical this would be, in terms of willingness of vet-fans to have themselves singled out/id'd (especially the humble types), but some interesting stories may emerge.

+ as per c-man, the interviews with the people who support the recording process provide niche technical detail and tidbits that are left off the liner notes, for whatever reason.

[The Shift]

Give Fred Vail, Stephen W Desper, Billy Hinsche, etc and even band members a couple of pages each every issue to simply reminisce about stuff we've not read about before or put the record straight on stuff we have read about - either self-penned or ghost written from interviews.

Oh and more special CDs, of course… goes without saying!

[Mikie]

Mr. Beard, get with C-man and do everything you can to identify what went on between December, 1971 and April, 1972. In other words, do a thorough investigation into the recording of the "Carl & The Passions" album - the studios (including Bellagio), the session players and who played and sang what.  Would that be possible?  Is it too late to interview Daryl Dragon or has he already been asked about it. I know he has commented on the Dennis tracks as far as he could remember. Blondie, Ricky, Bruce, Mike, and Al could be asked about it specifically, and even Brian. And Daryl's brother Dennis and whoever else played and/or recorded on the sessions. Ed Carter.....Tony Martin, Billy Hinsche, Jack Rieley, Steve Moffitt, Charles Lloyd, Tandyn Almer.....

Can't remember if there's ever been an ESQ issue addressing the details of the Carl & The Passions album. There's always been a gap there in Beach Boys history - the studio sessions between the Surf's Up album and the Holland album. Forgive me if there's been an issue covering everything that is known about it so far. Sure would be a nice issue and it would cause me to immediately renew by subscription to ESQ again. I know, shame on me!!!

[Phoenix]

I second some details on In Concert!  Not only is that period generally regarded as a (creatively, if not financially) major high point in the band's career by most but most of the details surrounding the album are sketchy at best.  I'm really interested to know what songs Dennis played keyboards on versus standing up front.  The same for Ricky, as well as what he played on each song.  Between guitar, flute, pedal steel, etc, it sounds like Kowalski could have been on drums more than Ricky!  What songs, if any, Carl played bass on (as stated in the Priess book).  What songs, if any, Blondie played bass on.  What songs, if any, Ed played lead guitar on.  What songs, if any, Billy played guitar on...  You get the picture.
 

Also, how was the track listing chosen.  It's odd enough that the album features no lead vocals or songwriting credits from Dennis but that fact is even stranger in light of newcomers, Blondie & Ricky's three songs (not to mention solo lines on "Funky Pretty" and instrumental solos on "Marcella", "Caroline No", etc).  And while adding tracks to the originally submitted single disc version is understandable, one has to wonder why certain songs were dropped all together. 

And finally, how much sweetening, etc. was done in post?  We know all about the overdubs (and flat out studio tracks!) that were used on Concert!  Was there anything like that done here?

And on one other barely connected topic, I've always been interested to know how the band (throughout its career) decided how to cover/rearrage the vocal parts on stage.  For instance, Al usually covered Brian's leads but what about his place in the vocal stack?  Did Billy or someone else in the backing band pick up that part?  I know for example, that the vocal stack for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" was definitely rearranged for live performances. Was something like that common or did they usually stick to the original vocal arrangement.  Also, as far as covering Brian's leads goes, Al usually took them but Carl covered "Sloop John B", presumably because Al had that high harmony section in the first verse but, using some other examples from In Concert, Carl also takes "Caroline No" and "Let The Wind Blow".  Why split up "Heroes And Villains" and "Don't Worry Baby" between the two of them? 

Moving beyond that particular period, when and why was it decided to bring in an outside "lead falsetto guy" for the live shows?  One would assume it's because Al or the band felt his own were no longer cutting it.  Is that true?  Why did Carl and Al swap "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice"?  Why give regular (non-falsetto) leads to non-band members (like Billy and Bobby) rather than having a band member take them?  How was it decided Carl would cover Mike's parts at the 70's Seattle show but then have Al cover for Mike at the show from the 80's?  Who decided which songs Brian "got back" when he returned to the stage?  How and why was it decided that Brian would be the band's regular bassist in '78?  When Carl left in 1981, who became the musical director?  Did Carl resume the position upon his return?  And (again) what was up with the seeming random decisions of who played drums on what when Bobby and Mike K were both regular members of the band?  Why not just have a dedicated drummer and another dedicated percussionist??? 

Anyway, these are all just examples that show for all the minutiae we know about the studio tracks, there's SO little information out there about the group's live performances and although the band's released some 30 plus albums of newly recorded material, they've played a nearly infinite amount of more live shows!

...Just my two cents.

[Jim V.]

Mr. Beard, get with C-man and do everything you can to identify what went on between December, 1971 and April, 1972. In other words, do a thorough investigation into the recording of the "Carl & The Passions" album - the studios (including Bellagio), the session players and who played and sang what.  Would that be possible?  Is it too late to interview Daryl Dragon or has he already been asked about it. I know he has commented on the Dennis tracks as far as he could remember. Blondie, Ricky, Mike and Al could be asked about it specifically, and even Brian. And Daryl's brother Dennis and whoever else played and/or recorded on the sessions. Ed Carter.....Tony Martin, Jack Rieley, Steve Moffitt, Tandyn Almer.....

Can't remember if there's ever been an ESQ issue addressing the details of the Carl & The Passions album. There's always been a gap there in Beach Boys history - the studio sessions between the Surf's Up album and the Holland album. Forgive me if there's been an issue covering everything that is known about it so far. Sure would be a nice issue and it would cause me to immediately renew by subscription to ESQ again. I know, shame on me!!!

VERY good idea Mikey. Seems like Carl and the Passions has gotten the short shrift when it comes to the amount of attention given to the creation of the Boys albums. Fellow '70s albums like Sunflower, Surf's Up, Holland and even 15 Big Ones have been pretty nicely documented, but the Passions era never really gets much coverage. I think Brian, Mike, Al, Blondie, and Ricky's recollections would be quite interesting. Any Bruce anecdotes would be interesting to, as it was during this era that he left the group. However, I'm pretty sure he is on "Mess Of Help" and "Marcella".

For other ideas, I think an L.A. (Light Album) special issue might be interesting. I'm sure it would be interesting to hear what Bruce has to say about his return to the band, and what Brian thinks of a lot of it. I also think c-man's article on that album could possibly be fleshed out with other information, and could amount to something quite intriguing.

The only other stuff I could think of would be in depth coverage of the making of Made In California and possibly more info on the previously unreleased material on it, after it comes out.

And lastly, maybe more of a look into Brian's "lost" years. It would be good to have an official source on the era in between Holland and 15 Big Ones. Would be interesting to hear about the creation of material like "Good Timin'", "California Feelin'", "It's OK", "Ding Dang" and so on.

[Mikie]

Right on, Jim.  And right on too, Phoenix!  Would love to see a good detailed article on the "In Concert" album, including what they had to cut out to make the released record.

The '74 sessions up at the Caribou Ranch would also make a good article! 

[MBE]

Unpublished vintage photos.

[Catbirdman]

I agree with what a lot of others have said. My wish list:

More in-depth features that go behind the scenes, like those fantastic pieces on TWGMTR and Sharon Marie.

More first-person reminiscences from folks that were there back in the day, and might not be with us for much longer. Guys like Fred Vail and Stephen Desper could probably give you enough material for multiple issues all by themselves.

Some c-man-enabled deep dives into the recording history could be amazing as well. Especially for eras not thoroughly covered elsewhere. Anything from 1970 onwards actually.

Most of all: would Mike Eder possibly be willing to share some excerpts from his unpublished book? I am dying to read some of that.

[Catbirdman]

Now that we know Don Goldberg is real, I think an interview/feature on him and his involvement with BBs/BW would be in order as well.

[ESQ Editor]

Thanks.  Please keep this stuff coming.

[The Shift]

Would love to see a good detailed article on the "In Concert" album, including what they had to cut out to make the released record.

Very much like this idea – a list of all the songs they'd've had to choose from* would be an exquisity!

* bit like the RFH 2012 set list represented the 2012 tour's entirety I guess.

[MBE]

I agree with what a lot of others have said. My wish list:

More in-depth features that go behind the scenes, like those fantastic pieces on TWGMTR and Sharon Marie.

More first-person reminiscences from folks that were there back in the day, and might not be with us for much longer. Guys like Fred Vail and Stephen Desper could probably give you enough material for multiple issues all by themselves.

Some c-man-enabled deep dives into the recording history could be amazing as well. Especially for eras not thoroughly covered elsewhere. Anything from 1970 onwards actually.

Most of all: would Mike Eder possibly be willing to share some excerpts from his unpublished book? I am dying to read some of that.

Actually I would love to do that plus do an interview about the nineteen plus years I've been working on it on and off.

[Catbirdman]

Actually I would love to do that plus do an interview about the nineteen plus years I've been working on it on and off.

That would be so great. Hopefully others will second and third this idea...

By the way, I meant to ask this on another thread a while back but I don't think I ever got around to it... Mike, have you considered Helter Skelter books as a possibility to publish your book? You probably have, but just checking.

[Bicyclerider]

Well this is an interest of mine, don't know how it will play to BB fandom - but I'd like an in depth discussion from Mark about making stereo mixes for Today, Summer Days and Smiley, what tapes were available and what tapes weren't, the artistic decisions, how the whole project came about with Japan requesting these, and the "remixes" done between the Japan releases and the U.S.

Made in California box set is the next important BB release and i'd love some behind the scenes and what is included, what isn't, and why- I realize if there was any controversy about certain tracks the participants may not want to talk about it, but simply saying some tracks were "vetoed" without reference to who did the vetoing would be fine too.  Also the technical aspects of trawling through the vault, how discoveries were made and restoration done, etc.

With Smile up for a Grammy I'd like something putting the release in perspective now almost a year later, maybe an interview with Tom Recchion about the construction and artwork of the box, or C-man talking about the sessionography and the detective work involved in researching the tape dates, places and times, and maybe updating/correcting any errors in the original session lists.

[Eric Aniversario]

Well this is an interest of mine, don't know how it will play to BB fandom - but I'd like an in depth discussion from Mark about making stereo mixes for Today, Summer Days and Smiley, what tapes were available and what tapes weren't, the artistic decisions, how the whole project came about with Japan requesting these, and the "remixes" done between the Japan releases and the U.S.

Made in California box set is the next important BB release and i'd love some behind the scenes and what is included, what isn't, and why- I realize if there was any controversy about certain tracks the participants may not want to talk about it, but simply saying some tracks were "vetoed" without reference to who did the vetoing would be fine too.  Also the technical aspects of trawling through the vault, how discoveries were made and restoration done, etc.

I would enjoy this as well.

[egon spengler]

I only just subscribed to ESQ this quarter an have read a few back issues, so this may have been covered.. But I'd love to get some more info on the new SMiLE mysteries that have been unearthed (or remain unsolved) after TSS. Does Brian remember that new DYLW verse melody, and where would it have fit in with the melody he remembered while making BWPS? Did he consider adding CIFOTM vocals during LTSDD part 3? Can anyone elaborate on the existence of Holidays lyrics circa 1966? I'm sure there are many others.

[Phoenix]

These should answer one of those questions.

http://www.mediafire.com/?jhz7t9q1o7g53mb

http://www.mediafire.com/?dztw18x2sazl1qb

[doc smiley]

how about some interviews with Sterling and Tony Smith about their recollections of the times they spent in studio with Dennis in the mid 70's.

[MBE]

Actually I would love to do that plus do an interview about the nineteen plus years I've been working on it on and off.

That would be so great. Hopefully others will second and third this idea...

By the way, I meant to ask this on another thread a while back but I don't think I ever got around to it... Mike, have you considered Helter Skelter books as a possibility to publish your book? You probably have, but just checking.

Yes I think they may be a good option. I need to do the 2012 update but should be done by the end of the month.

[Marcella]

I wanted to bump this thread and ask, as a new subscriber to ESQ (like so new I just subscribed about 30 minutes ago), is there a cost efficient way to read back issues, perhaps online? $10-$25 per issue for older issues will break my bank. I understand that ESQ is a labor of love and not anything people can make a living off of, and I am willing to spend to read old PDFs of issues. Any ideas?

[13thBB]

I would like to see a behind the scenes story about the recording of Getcha Back. I just don't believe that is Brian Wilson on falsetto.

[NateRuvin]

I agree with Marcella! The ability to purchase old copies would be awesome!