Great instrument playing moments in BBs recordings

[NHC]

Knectel plays the Hammond B3 through a Leslie speaker on Good Vibrations, right?  One handed. Ebm, Db, Abm, Bb.

Definitely Hammond through Leslie, but on the chords I hear and play a B major instead of Ab minor. If you listen to the bass line, it's outlining a B major chord with the notes F#-B-F#, B-C#-D# , which is a classic B major triad/arpeggio with the passing tone C# for melodic movement.

That's not saying it sounds wrong to play Ab minor, in fact after your post I grabbed my beater acoustic and ran Ab minor to test it, and it fit, but with the bassline being so strong on B major I still have to go with that. Of course that's just my ears and what I've taught my students who have learned that tune on bass and guitar, I have been wrong before! 

Another interpretation by a pretty good piano player and fan, Francis Greene - says the original key is D# :

Dm................................C.......................................Bb..................................................A7
I, I love the colorful clothes she wears, and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
Dm...............................C..............................Bb............................................................A7.....C7

I always thought the verse had the chords Eb, Ab, Gb.

It's definitely not in Dm as that transcription says, it's 100% starting on the Eb minor chord. The chorus cycles through, changing keys a whole step up for each key change. He starts on Gb (I'm picking up good vibrations...), changes up to Ab for the next one, then finally gets to Bb for the last, and Bb acting as the dominant chord resolves exactly where it would be expected to go, back to Eb minor.

It's the same kind of compositional and harmonic thing Brian did on the chorus of California Girls, but on that one he changed keys down a whole step every time the chorus hook was sung, going from B maj, to A maj, to G maj, and ending back in B.

Pretty neat thing to have three key changes in a chorus, and since he went up instead of down on GV's chorus, it didn't sound like he was copying himself from an earlier hit's chorus.

I'm a room and a half from my piano and my arms aren't long enough to compensate, but it sounds like Francis just moved the whole thing down a half step for simplicity sake (Ebm down to Dm; Gb down to F, etc.)? i've never played it against the record either on guitar or piano, so can't speak to the original key.

[Phoenix]

First time one of my threads breaks 8 pages...sweet 

And it probably wouldn't have happened without the Monkees.        

[AndrewHickey]

Knectel plays the Hammond B3 through a Leslie speaker on Good Vibrations, right?  One handed. Ebm, Db, Abm, Bb.

Definitely Hammond through Leslie, but on the chords I hear and play a B major instead of Ab minor. If you listen to the bass line, it's outlining a B major chord with the notes F#-B-F#, B-C#-D# , which is a classic B major triad/arpeggio with the passing tone C# for melodic movement.

That's not saying it sounds wrong to play Ab minor, in fact after your post I grabbed my beater acoustic and ran Ab minor to test it, and it fit, but with the bassline being so strong on B major I still have to go with that. Of course that's just my ears and what I've taught my students who have learned that tune on bass and guitar, I have been wrong before! 

Another interpretation by a pretty good piano player and fan, Francis Greene - says the original key is D# :

Dm................................C.......................................Bb..................................................A7
I, I love the colorful clothes she wears, and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair
Dm...............................C..............................Bb............................................................A7.....C7

I always thought the verse had the chords Eb, Ab, Gb.

It's definitely not in Dm as that transcription says, it's 100% starting on the Eb minor chord. The chorus cycles through, changing keys a whole step up for each key change. He starts on Gb (I'm picking up good vibrations...), changes up to Ab for the next one, then finally gets to Bb for the last, and Bb acting as the dominant chord resolves exactly where it would be expected to go, back to Eb minor.

It's the same kind of compositional and harmonic thing Brian did on the chorus of California Girls, but on that one he changed keys down a whole step every time the chorus hook was sung, going from B maj, to A maj, to G maj, and ending back in B.

Pretty neat thing to have three key changes in a chorus, and since he went up instead of down on GV's chorus, it didn't sound like he was copying himself from an earlier hit's chorus.

I'm a room and a half from my piano and my arms aren't long enough to compensate, but it sounds like Francis just moved the whole thing down a half step for simplicity sake (Ebm down to Dm; Gb down to F, etc.)? i've never played it against the record either on guitar or piano, so can't speak to the original key.

Yeah, Francis often transposes the key of the songs he transcribes (though he always posts the original key as well). I suspect it's to make it easier for guitarists -- all those flat chords would be a real pain for an amateur guitarist. Plus dropping it a semitone would make it slightly less impossible to hit those high notes on "I hear the sound of a" and "when I look".

[schiaffino]

First time one of my threads breaks 8 pages...sweet 

And it probably wouldn't have happened without the Monkees.        

Gotta love them primates 

[Mikie]

Yeah, Francis often transposes the key of the songs he transcribes (though he always posts the original key as well). I suspect it's to make it easier for guitarists -- all those flat chords would be a real pain for an amateur guitarist. Plus dropping it a semitone would make it slightly less impossible to hit those high notes on "I hear the sound of a" and "when I look".

Well, I always thought Good Vibrations was in Eb. And you're right, those flat notes are a pain in the butt to play for an amateur acoustic guitar player. So is that why Francis dropped it down to the key of D#, to make it easier for guitar players? Francis is very knowledgeable musician (and a nice guy). I traded some stuff with him in the 90's then lost contact - too bad he doesn't post here. Just surprised he didn't transcribe this in the original key (which I've always assumed was Eb).

[guitarfool2002]

Trust me, it starts on Eb minor, I don't know how much more about those chords I could have added that I didn't in the earlier posts to say it's an Eb minor on the original recording.

I've transcribed it on guitar (for the chords and bass line double), and for bass, and my students for some time have played along with it on bass and guitar, and it fits.

I'm sorry to get in a bit of a hissy fit here, but if someone posts this stuff and says exactly what key it's in and what the chords are, I don't understand the follow-ups asking what key it's in or whatever.

Seriously, what's up with "can't speak to the original key" after it was already posted? Anyway...

verses: Ebm / Ebm / Db / Db/ B / B / Bb / Bb

choruses: Gb / Gb / Gb / Gb / Gb / Gb / Gb / Gb / Ab / Ab / Ab / Ab / Bb / Bb / Bb / Bb

Bridge #1  half-time rhythm: Bb pedal bass for 6 bars, Eb pedal bass for 2 bars, Bb pedal bass for 2 bars

Church organ break: F / F / Gm / C7 (Repeat until ahhh, root bass note underneath is F...)

Chorus in reverse: Bb / Bb / Bb / Bb / Ab / Ab / Ab / Ab / Gb / Gb

da-dad-da-da-dah part: Gb / Ab / Bb / Ab

fade out on chorus riff in Ab

That's what is on the record.

[guitarfool2002]

Since the thread is about great instrument parts on the recordings, and GV was the current topic, this is a rough sketch I did several years ago of the GV bass part, tabbed out in basic form, hand drawn. Since most of it involves quarter notes, there are no rhythms indicated for the most part. Anyone with a guitar or bass who reads tab can play along with this, and the rhythms in the verse are self-explanatory when you listen to the record. This is a no-frills, no-fancy-notation-software transcription that works, that people can play along at most playing levels, and where the fingerings and positions may not be exactly as originally played but are positions which make the most logical sense on the neck. It doesn't look pretty but it gets the job done.

Play this with a pick. 

[c-man]

Although an album not praised for its production, I believe there are some interesting instrument playing moments in 'Love You'.

The bass synths in 'Honkin...' are pretty cool with Al's singing, but the great moment comes during the rising 'Take it one little inch at a time now, 'Til we're feelin' fine now...' when we get that high pitched organ in the background. Its not a complicated thing to play but as an instrumental moment, it gives the song so much validity and depth.

It's a beautiful, shiny moment in an otherwise obscure album.

The "Love You" moment that's always slayed me is the bridge of "I'll Bet He's Nice"...Carl's voice coming in like sunshine after the previous raspiness (but raspy in a great way) of Dennis and Brian, with the little synth notes dotting away behind him.  Killer!

[zachrwolfe]

‍

[guitarfool2002]

Yeah, Francis often transposes the key of the songs he transcribes (though he always posts the original key as well). I suspect it's to make it easier for guitarists -- all those flat chords would be a real pain for an amateur guitarist. Plus dropping it a semitone would make it slightly less impossible to hit those high notes on "I hear the sound of a" and "when I look".

Well, I always thought Good Vibrations was in Eb. And you're right, those flat notes are a pain in the butt to play for an amateur acoustic guitar player. So is that why Francis dropped it down to the key of D#, to make it easier for guitar players? Francis is very knowledgeable musician (and a nice guy). I traded some stuff with him in the 90's then lost contact - too bad he doesn't post here. Just surprised he didn't transcribe this in the original key (which I've always assumed was Eb).

In modern equal temperament, aren't D# and Eb equivalents? Don't mean to nitpick, just saying.

They're called enharmonics, two names for the same pitch. I think Mikie meant to say "Dm", I could have written the chords above in D# but it's less common to see than Eb.

[monicker]

Good Vibrations, which is as sonically close to perfect as you're ever likely to get. (Forgetting the mangled tape)

I think you'r right--close to perfect. For me, what stands in the way though is the tambourine. It's recorded poorly (in the context of it being such a "highlight" instrument in a pretty sparse arrangement) and i think it sits way too loud in the mix. Never understood what he was going for there.

Whatever happened to that video interview with Chuck? It seems to have disappeared from the internet. Does anyone know where that can be viewed now?

[DonnyL]

Good Vibrations, which is as sonically close to perfect as you're ever likely to get. (Forgetting the mangled tape)

I think you'r right--close to perfect. For me, what stands in the way though is the tambourine. It's recorded poorly (in the context of it being such a "highlight" instrument in a pretty sparse arrangement) and i think it sits way too loud in the mix. Never understood what he was going for there.

Whatever happened to that video interview with Chuck? It seems to have disappeared from the internet. Does anyone know where that can be viewed now?

I think the mangled tape thing is a myth, or related to something other than anything that ended up audible on the final mix. I think the thing that most people hear that they think is tape damage is some kind of low frequency element triggering a compressor to reduce the gain for a brief moment (like someone bumping a mic-stand or something).

The original story apparently comes from an '80s radio interview w/ Carl, where he mentions phasing occurring as a result of crinkled tape, which I believe would be unnoticeable to most people.

[NHC]

Seriously, what's up with "can't speak to the original key" after it was already posted? Anyway...

Good grief, all I meant was I didn't have the hands-on knowledge of the original key.  Until this thread, as far as I recall, I'd only seen a chord chart with the Dm sequence, and my Irving Music sheet music, copyright 1966, has it in Dm, so that's how I'd always played it. Obviously some of you folk already knew the original key.  I didn't. So that's "what's up" with that.

[SgtTimBob]

I think you'r right--close to perfect. For me, what stands in the way though is the tambourine. It's recorded poorly (in the context of it being such a "highlight" instrument in a pretty sparse arrangement) and i think it sits way too loud in the mix. Never understood what he was going for there.

The tambourine is one of my favourite things in the song. I particularly love what it brings to the fade tag.

[schiaffino]

Speaking of 'Love You', another great moment is the 'I'll bet he's nice' demo from Brian on piano. There's so much raw emotion in his playing, it really makes the song amazing.

Although I like the album version, something of the original rawness was lost in the production. IMO it would have worked better as a solo, 'unplugged' recording.

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

Since the thread is about great instrument parts on the recordings, and GV was the current topic, this is a rough sketch I did several years ago of the GV bass part, tabbed out in basic form, hand drawn. Since most of it involves quarter notes, there are no rhythms indicated for the most part. Anyone with a guitar or bass who reads tab can play along with this, and the rhythms in the verse are self-explanatory when you listen to the record. This is a no-frills, no-fancy-notation-software transcription that works, that people can play along at most playing levels, and where the fingerings and positions may not be exactly as originally played but are positions which make the most logical sense on the neck. It doesn't look pretty but it gets the job done.

Play this with a pick. 

I haven't played to the recording for ages, but isn't the verse part an octave higher than that? I always play it on the D and G strings, 13th/1th fret

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Since the thread is about great instrument parts on the recordings, and GV was the current topic, this is a rough sketch I did several years ago of the GV bass part, tabbed out in basic form, hand drawn. Since most of it involves quarter notes, there are no rhythms indicated for the most part. Anyone with a guitar or bass who reads tab can play along with this, and the rhythms in the verse are self-explanatory when you listen to the record. This is a no-frills, no-fancy-notation-software transcription that works, that people can play along at most playing levels, and where the fingerings and positions may not be exactly as originally played but are positions which make the most logical sense on the neck. It doesn't look pretty but it gets the job done.

Play this with a pick. 

I haven't played to the recording for ages, but isn't the verse part an octave higher than that? I always play it on the D and G strings, 13th/1th fret

I was going to make this comment as well.

[guitarfool2002]

Since the thread is about great instrument parts on the recordings, and GV was the current topic, this is a rough sketch I did several years ago of the GV bass part, tabbed out in basic form, hand drawn. Since most of it involves quarter notes, there are no rhythms indicated for the most part. Anyone with a guitar or bass who reads tab can play along with this, and the rhythms in the verse are self-explanatory when you listen to the record. This is a no-frills, no-fancy-notation-software transcription that works, that people can play along at most playing levels, and where the fingerings and positions may not be exactly as originally played but are positions which make the most logical sense on the neck. It doesn't look pretty but it gets the job done.

Play this with a pick. 

I haven't played to the recording for ages, but isn't the verse part an octave higher than that? I always play it on the D and G strings, 13th/1th fret

I was going to make this comment as well.

I agree with this, and I had that point in mind when I sketched it out those years ago. My thinking was at the time a more logical, almost practical way to position the chord outlines on the neck, and I assumed that either a guitar or Danelectro bass or something like that would be doubling the bass notes an octave higher...also assuming the bass itself may have been doubled by something like Lyle playing lower octave notes on upright acoustic bass.

I did it more for the logic of how it goes through the chord positions, eventually ending up around the 2nd fret for the chorus, than I did considering the electric bass may have been playing in the higher octave and position. I also thought if a guitar or Danelectro would double that, the musical logic would say put the bass one octave lower rather than having all of them playing in the same octave.

I totally hear your points, though, and I had to decide where to place that position-wise, maybe considering less the exact instrumentation and more the logic of how it was arranged.

[adamghost]

Effing hell, let me add my voice to the chorus: "Good Vibrations" starts with a Eb minor.  The End.

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

Yeah, it's Ebm.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

It's interesting, and this is not a criticism of anybody in particular, that, and I'm trying to choose my words wisely here, amateur or budding musicians tend to use sharp keys where the flat enharmonic key would be more appropriate.  Perhaps it's because there's more early exposure to keys like G and D that have sharps.  But I've seen all kinds of internet chord charts that will have a progression written as something like A# / D# / F.  Which is fine if it works, but it's just "flat" out easier, not only to just think about the one song, but also to conceptualize harmonic relationships in general, to use keys more...idiomatically, I suppose.

[AndrewHickey]

It's interesting, and this is not a criticism of anybody in particular, that, and I'm trying to choose my words wisely here, amateur or budding musicians tend to use sharp keys where the flat enharmonic key would be more appropriate.  Perhaps it's because there's more early exposure to keys like G and D that have sharps.  But I've seen all kinds of internet chord charts that will have a progression written as something like A# / D# / F.  Which is fine if it works, but it's just "flat" out easier, not only to just think about the one song, but also to conceptualize harmonic relationships in general, to use keys more...idiomatically, I suppose.

Really? Pretty much everything I ever see tends to use flats more than sharps.
Unless... are these ASCII chord charts rather than off a site like chordie.com? It might be that people are just using the sharp sign because it's on their keyboard, where the flat sign isn't.

[SonicVolcano]

The bass on Slip On Through, especially the one found on the All This Is That bootleg (take 7?). That descending line/riff after the first 'Come on, won't you let me be' is just gorgeous.

[bringahorseinhere?]

This is a great thread!!  enjoyed reading this!.....

Keep it all coming.....

I do question the liner notes of TWGMTR.......and even vocally......seems like there are too many 'younger' sounding voices in there than just
the guys and Foskett.....and A.Baker.....
is there a thread on here somewhere 'pulling apart' the vocals on the album? it just sounds to me, the like's of Sahanaja/Bennett etc may be in there also...


RickB

[Mr. Wilson]

Does anyone here have the original Stack O Tracks LP from the 60"s with the music book in it.? I learned GOK from that book I believe. The intro went something like : A E F#M7 E and when the vocal comes in it went D BM7 F#M7 B7 E ? E C#M7.. A E F#M7 E.. The ? mark I use  FMAJ 7.. I know that one is wrong but it sounds OK.. Just curious.THX