God Only Knows Instruments/Credits
TheWonderfulHarpsichord:
So I have recently been trying to pick out each instrument in God Only Knows out of curiosity and to show the brilliance of Brian's arrangements.
I have been looking at various sessionographys and i'm beginning to notice many conflicting sources and credits. For example, I have seen a few sources that state that God Only Knows uses a string quartet (two violins, one viola, and one cello), and yet i have seen other sources that state a string octet is used (five violins, two violas, and one cello). I cannot tell which is true just by listening to the song alone. I have listened to the sessions and still cannot tell.
Another conflicting credit that I have also noticed is regarding the bass parts. I have seen sources that state their are two bass parts (a bass guitar and an upright bass) and other sources that that state there are three bass parts (two bass guitars and one upright bass). There is also the subject if overdubbing was used for the bass parts.
Now another debated topic for the instrument usage is the argument between whether an organ or harpsichord was used (or both). I heard Brian directly address the harpsichord in the sessions but that does not entirely rule out the possibility that both were used, as organ was also credited and yet harpsichord wasn't even though Brian directly addressed the harpsichord in the sessions.
An even more debated topic is the argument of the guitar part and if it was Carl playing it. Carl isn't credited on the sessions notes but that doesn't rule out him playing it due to the fact that the notes are known not to always credit everyone. Before i couldn't even hear the guitar part but then I finally noticed it at the beginning of the second verse. I don't know if this is true or not or where I even heard it but I remember hearing something about Bruce saying Carl was at the session playing 12-string directly plugged into the console, if anyone can find a source for this please let me know. I have listened to the sessions and I do hear another voice that sounds kinda like Brian which could be Carl, but the noodling on the session is jazz based, which i've never heard Carl do before, but I don't think that rules it out entirely since God Only Knows uses a lot of jazzy chords and i assume Carl could have been practicing, if it was him, but that's just an assumption.
I also hear Brian refer to a bass clarinet in the sessions and even see some sources state that their are two clarinets and a bass clarinet, however I cannot make any out in the song. Are there any specific points in the song where they are audible? Or are they burred in the mix?
Also regarding instruments burred in the mix, I also see a "saxophone" and baritone sax credited in the notes, again I can't make any out in the song and ask if there is any point in the song where they are specifically audible.
I know this topic is a bit of a can of worms but i'm really curious and if anyone could confirm any of these assumptions it would be much appreciated.
Mitchell:
There's an alternate version with a sax solo, which may address your last point.
c-man:
Based on my extensive examination of the session tape and AFM contract, and input from a few others on this board, here is the conclusion I have come to:
Tack piano (w/strings taped): Don Randi
Harpsichord: Larry Knechtel
12-string electric rhythm guitar: Carol Kaye
Fender bass (w/tic-tac effect): Ray Pohlman
Upright bass: Lyle Ritz
Sleighbells & Drums: Hal Blaine
Plastic orange juice cups w/sticks: Jim Gordon
Tambourine: Terry Melcher
Accordions: Carl Fortina and Frank Marocco
French horn: Alan Robinson
Alto flutes & Flutes: Bill Green and Jim Horn
Clarinet: Jay Migliori
Bass clarinet & Clarinet: Leonard Hartman
Violins: Sid Sharp (leader) and Leonard Malarsky
Viola: Darrel Terwilliger
Cello: Jesse Erlich
There were absolutely NO overdubs on this magnificent recording, other than the vocals - however, the tag was spliced in from a separate take.
TheWonderfulHarpsichord:
Quote from: c-man on September 25, 2016, 03:19:59 PM
Based on my extensive examination of the session tape and AFM contract, and input from a few others on this board, here is the conclusion I have come to:
Tack piano (w/strings taped): Don Randi
Harpsichord: Larry Knechtel
12-string electric rhythm guitar: Carol Kaye
Fender bass (w/tic-tac effect): Ray Pohlman
Upright bass: Lyle Ritz
Sleighbells & Drums: Hal Blaine
Plastic orange juice cups w/sticks: Jim Gordon
Tambourine: Terry Melcher
Accordions: Carl Fortina and Frank Marocco
French horn: Alan Robinson
Alto flutes & Flutes: Bill Green and Jim Horn
Clarinet: Jay Migliori
Bass clarinet & Clarinet: Leonard Hartman
Violins: Sid Sharp (leader) and Leonard Malarsky
Viola: Darrel Terwilliger
Cello: Jesse Erlich
There were absolutely NO overdubs on this magnificent recording, other than the vocals - however, the tag was spliced in from a separate take.
Thanks for the information. It's pretty cool how Terry played tambourine on this, never knew that.
I have read in Mark Dillion's "Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys" that he speculates that the man called "Tony" could be Tony Asher playing tambourine. Is there any evidence to support this?
I'm guessing by what you said that the saxophones didn't make the final cut or are burred in the mix. Also regarding the clarinets/bass clarinet, do you know of any specific point in the song where they are audible? I can hear them in the sessions but not in the final version, unless it's them playing along side the flutes or french horn.
Also thanks for clearing up the no over-dubs part. I don't know where the "3 bass parts" speculation has come from.
Joshilyn Hoisington:
The 3-bass deal comes from the fact that Carol Kaye remembers playing bass on the track, which, if true, which is not a given of course, would mean there were 3 basses because we know for a fact that Ray and Lyle played bass.
As far as auditory evidence for that, I've spent nigh upon 15 years trying to decide what I think I hear. Sometimes I'm convinced I hear another Fender under there. Sometimes I think I'm way off. If there are three basses, that does leave the guitar question open. Not really sure what to think about that either and frankly I'm tired of thinking about these things.
There is the bizarre question of why the string bass was split in some fashion and given its own track in addition to being audible on the same track as the general rhythm instruments. That's another one I'm just tired of not having an answer for.
As far as wind combinations and harpsichord versus organ, or whatever--I think that they tried some different things. I have wondered if having the Baldwin Electric Harpsichord on the GOK session in Love & Mercy was any indication that one was there in March of '66. The think about GOK is that the reverb AND the tape slap is probably as heavy as Brian ever had it other than for over-the-top, obvious effects. So everything sounds really out-of-body and artificial to some extent.
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