Brian's SMILE list.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Anyone know what the recording date of this alt version of Time To Get Alone is?

I'm pretty sure the instrumental was recorded late summer/early fall of '67, for Three Dog Night/Redwood. The Three Dog Night version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=U7dEfHPTXaA. It's interesting, and just as good as the finished BB track in my opinion. Supposedly, when Mike found out Brian was recording this song and "Darlin'" (which is where I get my date for this recording from), he went into the studio while Brian was recording and confronted him in front of Redwood, telling Brian that these were BB songs and to stop working with Redwood.

October 14th & 15th, 1967.

[Dancing Bear]

Supposedly, when Mike found out Brian was recording this song and "Darlin'" (which is where I get my date for this recording from), he went into the studio while Brian was recording and confronted him in front of Redwood, telling Brian that these were BB songs and to stop working with Redwood.

Supposedly Mike dragged Carl with him. You see, Mike crushed Brian's dreams AND put brother against brother. Poor Carl. 

[carl r]

Whilst I do not claim to know the exact answer to this I always thought that the most credible inspiration for Cabinessence was something a bit more whacked-out than a trip to Center Parcs (or the Californian equivalent)

Time To Get Alone has always reminded me of Cabinessence's little brother - they have a similar vibe, the same lead singer, and a similar theme - to the verses anyway, the idea of getting away with your loved one:

"Light the lamp and fire mellow / Cabinessence timely hello" always conjured up entering your vacation cabin for the first time, putting the light on and lighting the fire, and it's a timely hello because it was time to get alone, after all.

"Nestle in a kiss below there / It's so quiet, you can hear for a country mile, makes you want to sit and kiss for a little while"
These two lyrics kinda go together.

And of course, there's the SMiLE theme in the middle of the Hawthorne version of TTGA.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Supposedly, when Mike found out Brian was recording this song and "Darlin'" (which is where I get my date for this recording from), he went into the studio while Brian was recording and confronted him in front of Redwood, telling Brian that these were BB songs and to stop working with Redwood.

Supposedly Mike dragged Carl with him. You see, Mike crushed Brian's dreams AND put brother against brother. Poor Carl. 

I have a problem with this tale - the sole source for it is Chuck Negron's book. No-one else has ever mentioned it, notably Danny Hutton. Or, for that matter, Brian.

Also have a wee problem with taking a supposition and treating it as fact. 

[The Shift]

Do You Like Worms
Prayer
Time To Get Alone
Bicycle Rider
Diamond Head
Holidays
Song For The Children
Fall Breaks And Back To Winter
I Wanna Be Around/Friday Night
Wind Chimes
Heroes And Villians
Surf's Up
Good Vibrations
Cabin Essence
Wonderful
I'm In Great Shape
Child Is Father Of The Man
The Elements
Vega-Tables
The Old Master Painter

I wanna go back to this list.

Just what is Song For The Children doing on there in 2003, before work had begun and before VDP had been brought in to fill the lyrical gaps... therefore at a time when Song For The Children shouldn't even have been a twinkle in Brian's eye?

After all, Do You Like Worms is still called Do You Like Worms according to this list, not Rock Plymouth Roll.

Can Petsite tell us anything about the list's source?

Or am I on the wrong track, and there was a SMiLE 66/67 recording labelled as Song For The Children that I've just not noticed being discussed in the 30 or so years I've been fixating on SMiLE?

[bossaroo]

I've got Diamond Head and Little Pad included in my SMiLE mix. Just seems right.

[The Shift]

Maybe Diamond Head, like Little Pad, included some reworking of Hawaiian Song? The guitar sounds suggests as much.

[The Shift]

Do You Like Worms
Prayer
Time To Get Alone
Bicycle Rider
Diamond Head
Holidays
Song For The Children
Fall Breaks And Back To Winter
I Wanna Be Around/Friday Night
Wind Chimes
Heroes And Villians
Surf's Up
Good Vibrations
Cabin Essence
Wonderful
I'm In Great Shape
Child Is Father Of The Man
The Elements
Vega-Tables
The Old Master Painter

I wanna go back to this list.

Just what is Song For The Children doing on there in 2003, before work had begun and before VDP had been brought in to fill the lyrical gaps... therefore at a time when Song For The Children shouldn't even have been a twinkle in Brian's eye?

After all, Do You Like Worms is still called Do You Like Worms according to this list, not Rock Plymouth Roll.

Can Petsite tell us anything about the list's source?

Or am I on the wrong track, and there was a SMiLE 66/67 recording labelled as Song For The Children that I've just not noticed being discussed in the 30 or so years I've been fixating on SMiLE?

Sorry, had to bump this... it's eating away at me (like SMiLE topics do...) and I'd love to hear whether anyone has an answer?

[c-man]

Supposedly, when Mike found out Brian was recording this song and "Darlin'" (which is where I get my date for this recording from), he went into the studio while Brian was recording and confronted him in front of Redwood, telling Brian that these were BB songs and to stop working with Redwood.

Supposedly Mike dragged Carl with him. You see, Mike crushed Brian's dreams AND put brother against brother. Poor Carl. 

I have a problem with this tale - the sole source for it is Chuck Negron's book. No-one else has ever mentioned it, notably Danny Hutton. Or, for that matter, Brian.

Also have a wee problem with taking a supposition and treating it as fact. 

Which part do you have a problem with, Andrew...the whole thing, or just the Carl being there with Mike part?  'Cause the way it's presented in Carlin's book, both Carl and Mike showed up at Wally Heider's , then he quotes Danny as saying "Mike got us outside and said, 'Hey, what's going on?  We've got an album to do.  Why don't you wrap this up?".  Note that Danny doesn't mention Carl in this quote, so that's why I'm wondering.  Incidentally, Danny makes it clear that he doesn't blame Mike at all for this:  "But if I were Mike, I would have done the same thing.  It's like, Brian's our producer, he's our writer; (these other, unknown guys) are in the only studio we record in, and he wants to finish an album with them?  Mike's like...get out!  And everyone always says merda about Mike, but if I were hm, I would have said the same thing".

[Mr. Cohen]

Well, I just keep coming across weird factoids lately. On the topic of Danny Hutton, it turns out that Brian was partially inspired to write "Darlin'" because of  Danny Hutton, as Danny "used to call everybody darling". Not that I give it that much weight to it, but here's the proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52XhOPcAd_k&feature=related. BTW, is it me, or does it sound like the amp for Brian's piano is turned off?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Supposedly, when Mike found out Brian was recording this song and "Darlin'" (which is where I get my date for this recording from), he went into the studio while Brian was recording and confronted him in front of Redwood, telling Brian that these were BB songs and to stop working with Redwood.

Supposedly Mike dragged Carl with him. You see, Mike crushed Brian's dreams AND put brother against brother. Poor Carl. 

I have a problem with this tale - the sole source for it is Chuck Negron's book. No-one else has ever mentioned it, notably Danny Hutton. Or, for that matter, Brian.

Also have a wee problem with taking a supposition and treating it as fact. 

Which part do you have a problem with, Andrew...the whole thing, or just the Carl being there with Mike part?  'Cause the way it's presented in Carlin's book, both Carl and Mike showed up at Wally Heider's , then he quotes Danny as saying "Mike got us outside and said, 'Hey, what's going on?  We've got an album to do.  Why don't you wrap this up?".  Note that Danny doesn't mention Carl in this quote, so that's why I'm wondering.  Incidentally, Danny makes it clear that he doesn't blame Mike at all for this:  "But if I were Mike, I would have done the same thing.  It's like, Brian's our producer, he's our writer; (these other, unknown guys) are in the only studio we record in, and he wants to finish an album with them?  Mike's like...get out!  And everyone always says merda about Mike, but if I were hm, I would have said the same thing".

The problem I have is with Negron's description of Mike & Carl reducing Brian to tears in the middle of a session, actually in the building. Danny doesn't mention it. No-one else ever has. Negron is the sole source. Sorry, but just doesn't ring true.

[Roger Ryan]

Do You Like Worms
Prayer
Time To Get Alone
Bicycle Rider
Diamond Head
Holidays
Song For The Children
Fall Breaks And Back To Winter
I Wanna Be Around/Friday Night
Wind Chimes
Heroes And Villians
Surf's Up
Good Vibrations
Cabin Essence
Wonderful
I'm In Great Shape
Child Is Father Of The Man
The Elements
Vega-Tables
The Old Master Painter

I wanna go back to this list.

Just what is Song For The Children doing on there in 2003, before work had begun and before VDP had been brought in to fill the lyrical gaps... therefore at a time when Song For The Children shouldn't even have been a twinkle in Brian's eye?

After all, Do You Like Worms is still called Do You Like Worms according to this list, not Rock Plymouth Roll.

Can Petsite tell us anything about the list's source?

Or am I on the wrong track, and there was a SMiLE 66/67 recording labelled as Song For The Children that I've just not noticed being discussed in the 30 or so years I've been fixating on SMiLE?

Sorry, had to bump this... it's eating away at me (like SMiLE topics do...) and I'd love to hear whether anyone has an answer?

Well, "Look" is not included as a potential title, so perhaps "Song For The Children" was an actual (working) title Brian thought up (at what point?) for this track prior to Parks writing lyrics for it. Notably, Parks' lyrics do not seem directly inspired by the title and vice versa. Of all the titles associated with "SMiLE", I can see Brian reaching the name "Look" on a list and going "what the hell's that?", then upon hearing the track, deciding it needs a better name he can remember it by. Or, perhaps that was the name he wanted all along for the piece, regardless of whether it was ever listed on a session sheet or tape box.

Similarly, does the title "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" appear on any vintage session sheets or tape boxes? For a while I wondered if the title was something dreamed up (by Dominic Priore?) long after the '66 sessions, then I heard Brian refer to it by that name during the 1998 Sean Lennon interview which seems to confirm that the title did originate with him or at least was vintage to the '66/'67 period.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Brian refers to the Fire Music as "Mrs. O'Leary's Fire" in the Jules Siegel article, on his way home after the session. Where the cow came from is a very fine question - the earliest reference I can recall is the March 1972 report in the UK rock press that Carl was going to dig the tapes out and finish Smile.

[The Heartical Don]

I have Ol' Man River placed right before Cabinessence in my mix.  I put the string bridge from H&V between the two.  My elements contain Fall Breaks, Wind Chimes with a portion of Holiday, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow and Diamondhead.

Same here, the preferences I mean. I can have I Don't Wanna Be Around, but am not a true fan. Ol' Man River and Diamond Head are better. Diamond Head manages to have a compicated time signature (bongos) and a ukulele waltz at the same time. I discovered the waltz only after years, and got frightenly drunk as a result of that (I mean, what other things might I have missed out on during my thousands of hours of listening to music)?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Am I reading this right - you've made a Smile mix using a song that was not only recorded well over a year after the project was abandoned, but was never even considered for Smile in the first instance ?

Why not go the whole hog and include "All This Is That", "That Same Song", "My Diane" & "Problem Child" ? 

[sofonanm]

I think they have a point. Brian may have abandoned the Smile album but the shift in songwriting that took place after Pet Sounds and began with Smile didn't dry up, he just moved it in a slightly different direction. Like how he said he didn't have to have a huge fire but a candle would suffice, that's almost how his songwriting seems to have gone. So including something like Ol' Man River instead of I Wanna Be Around, while it's a stretch to imagine it being a "Smile" track, it still maintains a similar sort of theme explored in some Smile tracks and Brian's own songs at the time reflect it to a certain extent.