Speculating about 'Run James, Run'

[drbeachboy]

I agree, but then RD, MH wasn't written by Brian or ever released by The Beach Boys. Whereas, GV was a #1 hit for The Beach Boys and written by Brian & Mike. I still think in 1967 it would have been very odd to have the GV theme running through Smile and not have the GV single or expanded version of it on the Smile album. Things like that just weren't done very much back in those days.

[The Heartical Don]

If GV was written and recorded before Smile and the GV theme runs through parts of Smile, then to me that equals intent for inclusion on Smile whether Capitol insisted on it or not. Now with Smiley Smile, Im sure Capitol insisted that GV be included on that album.

"Heroes And Villains" lifts a riff from "River Deep, Mountain High", but to me that doesn't equal intent for the inclusion of "RD, MH" in Smile.  

  which riff, or melody line, might that be? The double descending string line just preceding the chorus?

[LostArt]

If GV was written and recorded before Smile and the GV theme runs through parts of Smile, then to me that equals intent for inclusion on Smile whether Capitol insisted on it or not. Now with Smiley Smile, Im sure Capitol insisted that GV be included on that album.

Where does the GV "theme" show up in Smile, other than in Look (or I Ran, or Song For Children, whatever)?  My theory is that since early incarnations of GV did not contain this part, it may have had it's origins in Look, for which a session took place on August 12th.  More work was done on GV on September 1st, and it could be then that Brian put that part into GV.  Final vocal sessions for GV took place on September 12th and 21st.  I used to think that Brian scrapped Look because he had used this part to finish GV, but AGD's site indicates that a vocal session was held for Look on October 13th, three days after GV was released.  It sure would be nice to know what was recorded at that vocal session.

[LostArt]

If GV was written and recorded before Smile and the GV theme runs through parts of Smile, then to me that equals intent for inclusion on Smile whether Capitol insisted on it or not. Now with Smiley Smile, Im sure Capitol insisted that GV be included on that album.

"Heroes And Villains" lifts a riff from "River Deep, Mountain High", but to me that doesn't equal intent for the inclusion of "RD, MH" in Smile.  

  which riff, or melody line, might that be? The double descending string line just preceding the chorus?

Just the bass part in the verses.  Hardly a riff.

[rab2591]

If GV was written and recorded before Smile and the GV theme runs through parts of Smile, then to me that equals intent for inclusion on Smile whether Capitol insisted on it or not. Now with Smiley Smile, Im sure Capitol insisted that GV be included on that album.

I used to think that Brian scrapped Look because he had used this part to finish GV, but AGD's site indicates that a vocal session was held for Look on October 13th, three days after GV was released.  It sure would be nice to know what was recorded at that vocal session.

Any chance it could be on tape somewhere?

[LostArt]

Sure, there's a chance that there is a tape or acetate somewhere, but to my knowledge, none has turned up as of yet.

[Been Too Long]

Brian Wilson stated that Good Vibrations was going to be on SMiLE before it had become a "huge hit worldwide," late October, first maybe second week of November. I knew about the banner on the cover and being forced on Smiley but I've never heard any information that it was forced on to SMiLE.

[buddhahat]

If GV was written and recorded before Smile and the GV theme runs through parts of Smile, then to me that equals intent for inclusion on Smile whether Capitol insisted on it or not. Now with Smiley Smile, Im sure Capitol insisted that GV be included on that album.

"Heroes And Villains" lifts a riff from "River Deep, Mountain High", but to me that doesn't equal intent for the inclusion of "RD, MH" in Smile.  

  which riff, or melody line, might that be? The double descending string line just preceding the chorus?

Just the bass part in the verses.  Hardly a riff.

Somebody else posted (perhaps here) that the similarity between Save The Last Dance For Me, and H&V is even more striking. The 1st couple of bars could be the start to Heroes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvvf8chEj8M

[buddhahat]

Then how do you explain it's theme being used in Smile? Why did Brian use it to close the 2004 version if it was never intended to be included in the first place? There were no surprises for me regarding song selection when first performed in London. I was fascinated by song placement, though.

I believe that Brian started recording Good Vibrations during the recording of Pet Sounds. So the "first place" would be during this period. Do you think that at this early stage he had a vision of what Smile would be? I think that he wanted to follow up the best album ever with the best single ever.  Heroes and Villains was to have been the centerpiece of Smile. Maybe when it failed to duplicate the success of Good Vibrations it was decided that the latter must be included on the album. At any rate, I really doubt that the intention was to close Smile with Good Vibrations. It just doesn't work.

The inclusion of "GV" on Smile (and Smiley Smile) was Capitol's idea. Hit single, an' all that.

AGD, was there a specific date when Capitol requested GV's inclusion on Smile or would it have been from the outset of the project? Also is there any evidence that Brian was unenthusiastic about its inclusion? Thanks.

The original cover art didn't have the "Good Vibrations Good Vibrations Good Vibrations" strap across it, but the famous handwritten (but not by Brian) track listing does, so probably November 1966, when it had been a huge hit worldwide.

Thanks Andrew. Sorry, it's not clear from this post whether there was evidence that it wasn't to feature in the tracklisting at any point. It's absence from the banner in the 1st printing doesn't indicate that GV wasn't part of Smile at this point surely, merely that Capitol decided to advertise the presence of the hit more clearly on the 2nd printing. As far as I'm aware the handwritten track list is the only Smile tracklist we have, and that features GV. Is there a quote from Brian where he says that GV won't be on the album?

[Surfing Moose]

Does anyone know if Run James, Run was a request from the James Bond production company or did Brian just try to sell it to them? All I know is “They turned it down” (quote from Pet Sounds Live DVD)

If RJR would have been on a 007 movie it could only have been You Only Live Twice
Thunderball had it's premiere on 12/09/65 and RJR was recorded only 3 weeks earlier on 11/17/65

Maybe I should run Pet Sounds over an action scene from that movie and see what would have been....

[Andrew G. Doe]

Does anyone know if Run James, Run was a request from the James Bond production company or did Brian just try to sell it to them? All I know is “They turned it down” (quote from Pet Sounds Live DVD)

If RJR would have been on a 007 movie it could only have been You Only Live Twice
Thunderball had it's premiere on 12/09/65 and RJR was recorded only 3 weeks earlier on 11/17/65

Maybe I should run Pet Sounds over an action scene from that movie and see what would have been....

As with his favorite album, Brian tends to vary what he says over time. I've heard him say it was rejected, that they "never heard back" but most often that the intent was to offer it to the Bond movie people but "in the end we didn'". Certainly there was no request.

[SloopJohnB]

If RJR would have been on a 007 movie it could only have been You Only Live Twice
Thunderball had it's premiere on 12/09/65 and RJR was recorded only 3 weeks earlier on 11/17/65

I, for one, am glad that "Run James Run" didn't end up as the theme song to "You Only Live Twice" - we would never have been able to hear the great song of the same name.

But anyway, I doubt Brian actually offered it to the producers.