Help me transcribe Pet Sounds arrangements.

[DonnyL]

That's dead on except there's no Mandolin, unless we ever get to the bottom of one of the intro 12-strings being some kind of weird heretofore unknown mandolin-like instrument.

so that's the box guitar or 12-string electric then doing the frilly stuff starting around 1:40 ?

wait a sec ... I know the accordions are doing something weird here, but I swear I heard a 'clicky' kind of thing in there, maybe not.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

That's dead on except there's no Mandolin, unless we ever get to the bottom of one of the intro 12-strings being some kind of weird heretofore unknown mandolin-like instrument.

so that's the box guitar or 12-string electric then doing the frilly stuff starting around 1:40 ?

wait a sec ... I know the accordions are doing something weird here, but I swear I heard a 'clicky' kind of thing in there, maybe not.

Yeah, that's just the triple bellow shake on the accordions.

Or are you talking about the ritard?  That is the strumming of the box guitar.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

So I just did some listening and tried recording it, the results of which I'll post later, but the left hand of the tack piano is definitely not doubling the second guitar in the bridge.  It sounds super cool, but Brian didn't think of it at the time.

[DonnyL]

That's dead on except there's no Mandolin, unless we ever get to the bottom of one of the intro 12-strings being some kind of weird heretofore unknown mandolin-like instrument.

so that's the box guitar or 12-string electric then doing the frilly stuff starting around 1:40 ?

wait a sec ... I know the accordions are doing something weird here, but I swear I heard a 'clicky' kind of thing in there, maybe not.

Yeah, that's just the triple bellow shake on the accordions.

Or are you talking about the ritard?  That is the strumming of the box guitar.

the slow section ("you know it seems ...") ... i believe it's just the accordions, but on one of those mp3s there was some kind of artifact that sounded percussive.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Just accordions.

Boy I wish somebody had thought to photograph the WIBN session.

[bgas]

Just accordions.

Boy I wish somebody had thought to photograph the WIBN session.

Wasn't that responsibility given to Bruce?

[DonnyL]

Just accordions.

Boy I wish somebody had thought to photograph the WIBN session.

I'm sure there's a box of polaroids sitting in some storage unit somewhere.

[Sam_BFC]

Can anyone point me to any other examples of where accordions are used in such a way as to 'sound like tremolo mandolins'* as on the slow 'you know it seems the more we talk...' section of WIBN?  Is it a fairly common accordion playing technique?

*On closer listening, it really is too soft sounding to be mandolins.

[bgas]

Just accordions.

Boy I wish somebody had thought to photograph the WIBN session.

I'm sure there's a box of polaroids sitting in some storage unit somewhere.

YES!!  A BOX of POLAROIDS in Bruce's garage!!  Right next to his stack of unreleased Smile acetates....

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Can anyone point me to any other examples of where accordions are used in such a way as to 'sound like tremolo mandolins'* as on the slow 'you know it seems the more we talk...' section of WIBN?  Is it a fairly common accordion playing technique?

*On closer listening, it really is too soft sounding to be mandolins.

If you read the Pet Sounds box set booklet, One of the accordion players on the session discussed that it was pretty much a technique made up on the spot and that it was very tiring to do.


OK, so I've officially reached the point where I start imagining things.  Time to take a break.  I don't know if it's delirium or if it's true, but I've just come to wonder whether what I thought was the sound of tacks is actually the strummed jazz box...

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I'm so far at sea I just want to die.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Here's another interesting thought.  If you listen to the session, the clicking that sounds like tacks is not as prominent, but then on the final take, it is, and particularly on the professionally mixed stuff, where Mark has boosted the highs.  I think that's partially what's throwing me off, is the artificial highs which bring out the tack sound more on the box set.  I think it is the tack piano's bass notes.

By artificial, I don't mean bad, just not there originally, by the way.

[DonnyL]

tack is definitely in there I think ... are you questioning the presence of tack, or trying to figure what some lower notes are?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Yeah, it's there, just trying to figure out exactly what it's playing.  I'm getting close but let's just say I'll be going for a long time without listening to this song after I'm done transcribing it.

[DonnyL]

Hang in there champ ... if anyone can do it, it's you. I sure as hell couldn't !

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

This might sound slightly egotistical, but I wish it wasn't the case that if anybody can do it, it's me--I'd love for somebody to come along and be better at it than I am.  But that person doesn't exist.  It's lonely at the top.   

[king of anglia]

I'm made some quite decent Smile midi tracks about ten years (jesus!) ago. I'll try to dig them out at some point.

This cheeky sh*t used one of them on his blog without my permission:
http://warnakeysbeachboysblog.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/smile-sheet-music.html

I commented on the blog post - apparently my midi files are on the Project Smile thing. From memory I did:

Look
Holiday
Cabinessence
H+V
Dada
CITFOTM
Wind Chimes

I'm going to have a crack at "Don't Talk" soon. You can use that if it's any good.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

If you go here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/control_room/artist/2810343/songs

And click "WIBN Experiments," you can hear a couple of run throughs I've done, mainly trying to get the pianos right.  Forgive the hastiness of everything.

[Sam_BFC]

Do you have to sign up for a reverb nation account these days to play anything?

[puni puni]

You could just use Vocaroo

[DonnyL]

If you go here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/control_room/artist/2810343/songs

And click "WIBN Experiments," you can hear a couple of run throughs I've done, mainly trying to get the pianos right.  Forgive the hastiness of everything.

link doesn't work !

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

http://www.reverbnation.com/aeijtzsche/song/16134584-wibn-experiements

Try that?

[king of anglia]

Here's my attempt at half of Don't Talk. Let me know if you can hear any mistakes:

EDIT:

Here's the final version:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/u5im81

Might overdub real bass and guitar there at some point.

[puni puni]

I don't know what was with the WIBN bridge but I like the added Roxy Music style piano

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

That's as close to exactly what they're playing on the record as we're going to get.  In terms of substance, but not execution.  I'm no wrecking crew.