Track Talk: Lady Lynda/Liberty

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Lady Liberty is atrocious - when he's singing 'shine, shine on' or whatever, it just reminds me of bloody Shine by Take That, which obviously is a very bad thing indeed! And what's with the pretencious spoken sections all the time Al? Beaks of Eagles you just about got away with, mainly because the rest of the song was so great, but Lady Liberty, Santa Ana Winds - arrrrgggghhhh!

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Every time I hear that spoken intro by Al in Lady Liberty, I can't help imagining the cop(-s) speaking with megaphones to dangerous outlaws hidden inside a building.

No, that's "Indiana Wants Me" by R. Dean Taylor. A common confusion.

[Nicko1234]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

[HeyJude]

I enjoyed AGD's story posted somewhere a few years ago of going to a BB show circa 1991 or so and the band actually dusting off "Lady Lynda." Apparently the crowd hears the intro and applauds, and then at least hardcore fans groan as they realize the lyrics have been sterilized into an apparent post-divorce "Little Lady."  

[wantsomecorn]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

Dennis. He arranged the orchestration for Lady Lynda, but was uncredited.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I enjoyed AGD's story posted somewhere a few years ago of going to a BB show circa 1991 or so and the band actually dusting off "Lady Lynda." Apparently the crowd hears the intro and applauds, and then at least hardcore fans groan as they realize the lyrics have been sterilized into an apparent post-divorce "Little Lady."  

Wembley Arena 1993... where everyone around me did a double take when Mike annouced "SIP" as a brand new song and I was word perfect singing it !

[Jay]

I've heard a recording of the "Little Lady" version. It's quite funny, because Al can never remember to change it from Lady Lynda. I can't be certain(It's been a while since I've listened to it), but I think it comes out something like "lady little". 

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

Dennis. He arranged the orchestration for Lady Lynda, but was uncredited.

Sorry, slight misunderstanding - i guess i didn't phrase it very clearly. What i'd meant to say was: the songs on the album by the Wilson's - i.e. Carl, Dennis and Brian - are almost all superior to Lady Lynda, nice though Al's song is.

I had absolutely no idea Dennis played any role in arranging Lady Lynda. Very interesting.

[AndrewHickey]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

Dennis. He arranged the orchestration for Lady Lynda, but was uncredited.

Sorry, slight misunderstanding - i guess i didn't phrase it very clearly. What i'd meant to say was: the songs on the album by the Wilson's - i.e. Carl, Dennis and Brian - are almost all superior to Lady Lynda, nice though Al's song is.

I had absolutely no idea Dennis played any role in arranging Lady Lynda. Very interesting.

You phrased it fine. Nicko was making a 'joke' based on the fact that you misused an apostrophe. "Wilson's" would mean either "Wilson is" or "belonging to or relating to Wilson" (as in "Dennis Wilson's singing that song" or "Dennis Wilson's contributions"). If you want to talk about more than one Wilson, you say Wilsons, with no apostrophe, as in "the Wilsons were the heart and soul of the band".

If you want, as in your original post, to talk about the contribution of multiple Wilsons, you should say Wilsons', with the apostrophe after the s, as in "the Wilsons' songs were the best on LA (Light Album)".

Everyone got what you meant, but Nicko thought it would be funny to pick you up on your error.

I'm pretty sure the thing about Dennis arranging Lady Lynda was another joke.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

Dennis. He arranged the orchestration for Lady Lynda, but was uncredited.

Sorry, slight misunderstanding - i guess i didn't phrase it very clearly. What i'd meant to say was: the songs on the album by the Wilson's - i.e. Carl, Dennis and Brian - are almost all superior to Lady Lynda, nice though Al's song is.

I had absolutely no idea Dennis played any role in arranging Lady Lynda. Very interesting.

You phrased it fine. Nicko was making a 'joke' based on the fact that you misused an apostrophe. "Wilson's" would mean either "Wilson is" or "belonging to or relating to Wilson" (as in "Dennis Wilson's singing that song" or "Dennis Wilson's contributions"). If you want to talk about more than one Wilson, you say Wilsons, with no apostrophe, as in "the Wilsons were the heart and soul of the band".

If you want, as in your original post, to talk about the contribution of multiple Wilsons, you should say Wilsons', with the apostrophe after the s, as in "the Wilsons' songs were the best on LA (Light Album)".

Everyone got what you meant, but Nicko thought it would be funny to pick you up on your error.

I'm pretty sure the thing about Dennis arranging Lady Lynda was another joke.

So not so much a joke as just really pedantic. Blimey, if i corrected all the bad grammar and/or spelling mistakes that cropped up on here i'd never bloody leave....

Would be interesting to hear whether or not Dennis did in fact help arrange Lady Lynda then. If that was a joke, well, what's remotely funny about pretending Dennis helped arrange a song when he didn't....?

[wantsomecorn]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

Dennis. He arranged the orchestration for Lady Lynda, but was uncredited.

Sorry, slight misunderstanding - i guess i didn't phrase it very clearly. What i'd meant to say was: the songs on the album by the Wilson's - i.e. Carl, Dennis and Brian - are almost all superior to Lady Lynda, nice though Al's song is.

I had absolutely no idea Dennis played any role in arranging Lady Lynda. Very interesting.

You phrased it fine. Nicko was making a 'joke' based on the fact that you misused an apostrophe. "Wilson's" would mean either "Wilson is" or "belonging to or relating to Wilson" (as in "Dennis Wilson's singing that song" or "Dennis Wilson's contributions"). If you want to talk about more than one Wilson, you say Wilsons, with no apostrophe, as in "the Wilsons were the heart and soul of the band".

If you want, as in your original post, to talk about the contribution of multiple Wilsons, you should say Wilsons', with the apostrophe after the s, as in "the Wilsons' songs were the best on LA (Light Album)".

Everyone got what you meant, but Nicko thought it would be funny to pick you up on your error.

I'm pretty sure the thing about Dennis arranging Lady Lynda was another joke.

So not so much a joke as just really pedantic. Blimey, if i corrected all the bad grammar and/or spelling mistakes that cropped up on here i'd never bloody leave....

Would be interesting to hear whether or not Dennis did in fact help arrange Lady Lynda then. If that was a joke, well, what's remotely funny about pretending Dennis helped arrange a song when he didn't....?

I've heard he had done the arrangements from somewhere. Sorry if I was passing off conjecture as fact.

[JK]

Lady Lynda on the other hand is a nice, light song. Nothing earth-shattering - i'd say the vast majority of the Wilson's LA contributions put it comfortably in the shade - but the harmonies towards the end of the song are pretty fabulous, and Al's vocal is typically strong.

Which Wilson? (Sorry for being pedantic)

Dennis. He arranged the orchestration for Lady Lynda, but was uncredited.

Sorry, slight misunderstanding - i guess i didn't phrase it very clearly. What i'd meant to say was: the songs on the album by the Wilson's - i.e. Carl, Dennis and Brian - are almost all superior to Lady Lynda, nice though Al's song is.

I had absolutely no idea Dennis played any role in arranging Lady Lynda. Very interesting.

You phrased it fine. Nicko was making a 'joke' based on the fact that you misused an apostrophe. "Wilson's" would mean either "Wilson is" or "belonging to or relating to Wilson" (as in "Dennis Wilson's singing that song" or "Dennis Wilson's contributions"). If you want to talk about more than one Wilson, you say Wilsons, with no apostrophe, as in "the Wilsons were the heart and soul of the band".

If you want, as in your original post, to talk about the contribution of multiple Wilsons, you should say Wilsons', with the apostrophe after the s, as in "the Wilsons' songs were the best on LA (Light Album)".

Everyone got what you meant, but Nicko thought it would be funny to pick you up on your error.

I'm pretty sure the thing about Dennis arranging Lady Lynda was another joke.

 

Seriously, has there been any concrete evidence that Dennis co-arranged "Lady Lynda"? Has Al ever confirmed it in an interview? 

[HeyJude]

Seriously, has there been any concrete evidence that Dennis co-arranged "Lady Lynda"? Has Al ever confirmed it in an interview? 

Al said in his 2000 interview with Goldmine that Dennis helped with "with the track", which doesn't make clear his precise contribution:

How did you come up with the idea for the classical-sounding introduction to "Lady Lynda"?

A friend of mine, Ron Altbach, he and I decided to write something together. I was familiar with his love of classical music. I was at the Johann Sebastian Bach festival up here in Carmel which happens every summer up here. I heard that beautiful piece sung at the Mission Cathedral here in Carmel. Gorgeous piece. It's called "Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring." It was written for the church. When I heard that movement I went, "My God, that's too heavy! Maybe I can start the song with this thing." [laughs] Ron is such a great player that it just worked. We had to hire a classical guy to play an absolutely beautiful harpsichord that was brought in just fro the occasion. It was a monster session with a 26-string orchestra, the harpsichord. Harry Betts arranged the strings. I can't remember if Dennis played the drums. Dennis helped me with the track. We played it live at a couple of places before we recorded it. I think he played drums. I did that 12-string guitar. It was a beautiful 12-string guitar that i still have. It would have worked better if it had been on my own album, but it certainly worked. We always seemed to be five people making five different albums on the same album.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I saw the Beach Boys perform "Lady Lynda" in concert, with Dennis Wilson in attendance, three times. And, each time the song was played, Dennis left the stage.

[Smilin Ed H]

I thought Dennis helped arrange the vocals - and I'm not sure whether it was for the released version or the earlier one.

[adamghost]

Wow.  So many things wrong with this, but front and center - using the original backing track but stripping out the live drums and replacing them with a cheezy Roland drum machine.  Without the original drums the whole track just kind of collapses; the backbone is gone.  Lush full instrumentation, strings, all recorded in top of the line late '70s full studio fidelity - and front and center, your brother's Casio, swamped by it all, failing to keep the beat.

Then, there are of course the lyrics.

[JK]

For quick comparison:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzd4D9ndtok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SzP8p2lFrw


Thanks for the info, HeyJude. So really it's still anyone's guess...

SJS, maybe Dennis left to conduct an off-stage string section.   

Adam, love the description! It certainly has had all the life knocked out of it----not inappropriately, perhaps.   

[Steve Latshaw]

<<Wow.  So many things wrong with this>>

A couple of things I do like:

1.  Al's vocal double tracked.  Wish they'd done this on the original

2.  Love that Carl vocal; I'd forgotten about it.  Have not heard this in 30 years.

[The_Beach]

I actually kinda like lady liberty's instrumental track more then Lady Lyndas.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I actually kinda like lady liberty's instrumental track more then Lady Lyndas.

How very odd, given that all Alan (and apparently Carl) did was take the original recording, strip off most of the vocals and add theirs (apparently in a barn...) and slightly remix the track. So essentially, it's the same. 

[The_Beach]

I actually kinda like lady liberty's instrumental track more then Lady Lyndas.

How very odd, given that all Alan (and apparently Carl) did was take the original recording, strip off most of the vocals and add theirs (apparently in a barn...) and slightly remix the track. So essentially, it's the same.  

The beginning puts me in total AWE! Love the intro! That slight remix does it for me! Not just the track but the song is patriotic and not about some ones ex lover! Great song!

[Smilin Ed H]

If memory serves, the original Lady Lynda (the one offered up - though not recorded for - MIU) doesn't have the Bach opening. I'm just curious as to whether it's been clipped from the earlier recording or added for the LA version.

[JK]

the song is patriotic and not about some ones ex lover

I should be doing other things but I keep coming back to these words, not sure why. 

[Manfred]

A very good song, nice melody, but remember, the composer was Johann Sebastian Bach.

[Steve Latshaw]

<<If memory serves, the original Lady Lynda (the one offered up - though not recorded for - MIU) doesn't have the Bach opening. I'm just curious as to whether it's been clipped from the earlier recording or added for the LA version.>>

The first time I heard this live was in August of 1977.  Dennis was actually the one who introduced the song and Al - but then left the stage while it was performed ("This is a new one from Al - which is why I don't play on it!" - as he fakes running off the stage... then comes back to the mic and finishes the introduction).

For this version, there was no Bach intro.

In August of 1978, on stage, Mike introduced the song.  He had Ron Altbach play a bit of the Bach piece on solo piano... which got applause.  Then they went into the actual song.