The Alan Boyd Thread

[Jay]

Here ya go:

TIL I DIE:
1 - Rythm King
2 - Lo vox
3 - bass
4 - RMI
5 - Organ
6 - Organ
7 - Gtr/drm
8 - Vox (different lyrics)
9 - Hi vox/vibes
10 - vibes
11 - bkg vox
12 - bkg vox
13 - more vox
14 - ore vox
15 - org/vox
16 - org/vox

Looks like this one had some dubdowns on the way to the final 16 track master.

I haven't really been following this thread, so forgive me if this has been answered. Mr. Boyd, I was wondering if you could be talked into telling us some of those different lyrics? 

[mutedtrumpeterswan]

Hi,

This is my inaugural post so hello to everyone in the BB community.

Like everyone, I am curious about the additional lyrics to "'Til I Die" that are known to exist, but unfortunately it would probably be a breach of protocol to
post them here even if Alan knows them (don't mean to put words in his mouth, feel free to refute me if necessary).

Hopefully all true fans will get to hear them some day, in written or (oh joy!) musical form.

[Alan Boyd]

Actually, they've been published before.... and yet, I can't remember them completely off the top of my head.

The only differences (at least on the existing 16 track master we have) are in the parts where Brian sings solo.  Instead of "I lost my way," for example, the alternate lyrics are along the lines of, "I"ll find my way...."   The alternate lyrics seem to have been an attempt to make the song's message a bit more positive. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Actually, they've been published before.... and yet, I can't remember them completely off the top of my head.

The only differences (at least on the existing 16 track master we have) are in the parts where Brian sings solo.  Instead of "I lost my way," for example, the alternate lyrics are along the lines of, "I"ll find my way...."   The alternate lyrics seem to have been an attempt to make the song's message a bit more positive. 

The other difference mentioned to me was "it fills my soul" as opposed to "it kills my soul".

Then, of course, there's the original lyric that's lost forever as Steve Desper didn't have time to set up a slave when Brian wanted to cut a new vocal with revised lyrics. So he just recorded over the top of them.

[Stephen W. Desper]

Actually, they've been published before.... and yet, I can't remember them completely off the top of my head.

The only differences (at least on the existing 16 track master we have) are in the parts where Brian sings solo.  Instead of "I lost my way," for example, the alternate lyrics are along the lines of, "I"ll find my way...."   The alternate lyrics seem to have been an attempt to make the song's message a bit more positive. 

The other difference mentioned to me was "it fills my soul" as opposed to "it kills my soul".

Then, of course, there's the original lyric that's lost forever as Steve Desper didn't have time to set up a slave when Brian wanted to cut a new vocal with revised lyrics. So he just recorded over the top of them.

COMMENT:  I'm not certain about the above.  Yes, I did record over the original lyric that Brian layed down, so that performance was lost.  However, Alan told me recently that he found an early test mix that had this very performance of the original vocal by Brian on it, but it was an early mix with little instrumentation.  So the performance has been lost, but not the words.  ~swd

[Sam_BFC]

So can Mr Boyd reveal these words?

[Stephen W. Desper]

So can Mr Boyd reveal these words?

COMMENT:   Sorry Alan.  Guess I put you on the spot. ~Steve D.

[John]

Mr. Boyd, saw this on the Shut Down board re: the Roxy show - "I can't begin to describe how good it was. Hearing Carl's vocal parts isolated on songs such as 'Til I Die was pure heaven."

What other songs did you isolate Carl's vocal on?
And is it possible to isolate the other vocals on Til I Die?


I imagined they were recorded together. Something like that - four or however many versions of Til I Die featuring just the vocals by each individual Beach Boy would make for very interesting listening on the next archival release.

[aeijtzsche]

Mr. Boyd, saw this on the Shut Down board re: the Roxy show - "I can't begin to describe how good it was. Hearing Carl's vocal parts isolated on songs such as 'Til I Die was pure heaven."

What other songs did you isolate Carl's vocal on?
And is it possible to isolate the other vocals on Til I Die?


I imagined they were recorded together. Something like that - four or however many versions of Til I Die featuring just the vocals by each individual Beach Boy would make for very interesting listening on the next archival release.

By the time they went to 8 and even more so 16-track, most of the time the lead vocal, and it's double it it had one, got its own track, so one could theoretically isolate almost any post 1968-69 lead vocal.  But they persisted in doing a lot of BG vocals together on the same track to the last days.

I've been pushing and hoping for weird releases like that, but it will not happen, unequivocally, it won't happen.

And it would never be enough, anyway.  Once you get a taste of "pure heaven" you can never have enough.  O, that we could hear the intimate glory of any vocal or instrumental part we'd like, but unless the almighty becomes the next CEO of EMI...

I really think the best hope for anything like this would be for the Beach Boys to do a promo iTunes release of discrete tracks from one song.  Radiohead have had much success releasing individual parts for fans to remix, for a contest.

To promote the next Singles box, or the next commemorative Pet Sounds re-release (as those seem the most likely next releases) EMI should put up all 16-tracks (or 8 or even 4) to download, let fans remix them, and have Brian pick a winner or something.

If it was to promote Pet Sounds, release the multis of, say, Wouldn't It Be Nice.  That would be, essentially 10 tracks, 3 instrumental and 7 vocal.

So not only would EMI get the hardcore fans excited, you'd also bring in non-fans, hip-hop producers who enjoy remixing.

That would be my plan.

[John]

I totally agree, and thanks for the info.

I thought it uncommon that a close harmony lead like Til I Die would be viable to split up into component parts.

[Brother Ben]

Edit, nevermind.

[Jay]

This may be a little "off limits" to talk about, but there is a section of isolated  Brian and Carl vocals from Till I Die that has been bootleged. I'm wondering what the story is about it getting booted.

[Brian65]

Hey Alan I have question for you about The Little Honda Master Tapes, are there actual sessions for the basic track or is there only sessions for the vocals? .

I know the basic stereo track exists because it appeared on Stack-O-Tracks

[guitarfool2002]

My mind was just blown by logging in for the first time in ages and finding long posts I did about topics I totally put out of my mind, the posts dated three years ago to the week starting next week.

Has it been that long?

All I wanted to know was whether anyone had an explanation for the sudden drop in quality on Good Vibrations, heard most prominently in the organ part.

[c-man]

My mind was just blown by logging in for the first time in ages and finding long posts I did about topics I totally put out of my mind, the posts dated three years ago to the week starting next week.

Has it been that long?

All I wanted to know was whether anyone had an explanation for the sudden drop in quality on Good Vibrations, heard most prominently in the organ part.

Well, I don't know if I'd call it a drop in quality, so much as just a change in sonics, particularly level.  It's a very quiet part in the song, just organ and shaker, then vocals and finally some bass comes in on the deep end.  It was recorded months after the other sections, and then spliced in, but I don't think that has anything to with it really.  It's just got a different sonic character. 

[guitarfool2002]

My mind was just blown by logging in for the first time in ages and finding long posts I did about topics I totally put out of my mind, the posts dated three years ago to the week starting next week.

Has it been that long?

All I wanted to know was whether anyone had an explanation for the sudden drop in quality on Good Vibrations, heard most prominently in the organ part.

Well, I don't know if I'd call it a drop in quality, so much as just a change in sonics, particularly level.  It's a very quiet part in the song, just organ and shaker, then vocals and finally some bass comes in on the deep end.  It was recorded months after the other sections, and then spliced in, but I don't think that has anything to with it really.  It's just got a different sonic character. 

Not the quiet part at the end which is obviously an edit and fader moves, but instead the part just 6 or 7 seconds into the track where the entire sonic character changes and it almost seems to phase-shift a bit...not deliberate tape phasing though. It happens right under the end of the first vocal phrase. It is an obvious drop in quality, too.

Folks have noticed it and pointed it out before sometimes as a "mistake" that made it to the final mix, but I've never heard an explanation for what that is or what caused it.

[Jay]

I believe I know the exact spot guitarfool2002 is talking about. It's right on the line "I hear the sound of a gentle word". It happens right on the drawn out "IIIII....". It's a weird pop/warble sound. I think I read somewhere that it's the result of an edit, but they couldn't make it any more "less obvious" for some reason.

[c-man]

I believe I know the exact spot guitarfool2002 is talking about. It's right on the line "I hear the sound of a gentle word". It happens right on the drawn out "IIIII....". It's a weird pop/warble sound. I think I read somewhere that it's the result of an edit, but they couldn't make it any more "less obvious" for some reason.

Oh yeah, I know the part you're talking about.  Top of the second verse.  I believe it was a flutter that manifested itself when they transferred the 4-track instrumental backing to the 8-track master, prior to adding vocals.  I don't THINK it's present on the original 4-track, but I'll have to listen to "Unsurpassed Masters" to see.

[Black Tiger]

No, it's not the second verse, it's 5 seconds into the song.

Right after "clothes she wears" the organ drops off, it sounds sort like someone turned down the volume. There is a discussion of it here (starts at the bottom of the page, 3rd-to-last post):
http://s3.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=54492&threadid=560397

[c-man]

No, it's not the second verse, it's 5 seconds into the song.

Right after "clothes she wears" the organ drops off, it sounds sort like someone turned down the volume. There is a discussion of it here (starts at the bottom of the page, 3rd-to-last post):
http://s3.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=54492&threadid=560397

Hmmm...maybe Brian had two mixes of the song...and he really liked that punchy opening "I" from one mix, but liked the rest of the verse from another mix, so he edited that "I" on.  And there was a slight level difference between the two mixes that he was hoping no one would ever notice.