Ricky Fataar's last concert as a Beach Boy

[Ian]

If you look at the Gigs/Sessions page at Bellagio (now hosted by ESQ) you will see that we have updated 1974 to say that Ricky Fataar's last concert was probably Sept 8 1974 (or possibly one of the shows in October).  Previously we had followed Keith Badman in listing Dec 18 1974 Fresno-as the date.  Why we changed the date and why we believe that Badman made this particular error follows:
1) Keith Badman utilized an article by Elliot Cahn from Melody Maker-who attended the Dec 19 1974 Bakersfield concert.  Cahn wrote "Dennis Wilson returned to the drums tonight."  Based on this misleadng statement by Cahn-Badman hypothesized that therefore the concert the night before must have been Ricky Fataar's last gig.  Hence he listed Dec 18 1974 in Fresno as Fataar's last show (by the way he incorrectly listed that show as the Warner Theatre when it was the Selland Arena).
2) Keith Badman made many errors in his book because he was writing under a deadline.  If a review was handy he used it-but he didn't check to see if all the concert dates he used were correct and trusted old lists/info and web sources too much.  He clearly did not look at many reviews of Nov and Dec 1974 concerts that are available in old newspapers.  As a result many of his venues are wrong too (compare the book to the corrected list at Bellagio)
3) Having collected all the available reviews of Nov and Dec 1974 Beach Boys concerts-I can attest that far from Dec 19 1974 being Dennis's return to the drums-he had drummed at all the shows since the Nov 12 1974 Niagara Falls gig.  Cahn's choice of words in his article were very poorly chosen and led Badman, in his haste, astray.
4) The Nov 16 1974 Billboard Magazine stated that Ricky Fataar had left the Beach Boys and was now with Joe Walsh's band.  Fataar is not mentioned in any  newspaper reviews of Nov and Dec 1974 shows-though other musicians present are frequently namechecked.  Indeed-Bobby Figueroa was present on these tours as second drummer/percussionist according to articles/reviews.
5) Another Elliot Cahn article from 1975 states that Dennis had two weeks to prepare for his return to the drums-after Rickys announcement-before the band went on tour again.  Clearly-then Ricky didn't leave in the middle of a tour.
6) One other source of confusion for Badman was the fact that C-Man had added a setlist to Eric' site for the Nov 22 1974 Baltimore show in which he stated that Ricky was present.  Having corresponded with C-Man-I know that he based this on some slides taken at the gig by the infamous Brad Elliot that he was shown about 10 years ago-in which there was a percussionist with long dark hair.  They both assumed it was Ricky-but now thinking about it again-C Man believes that it could have been Bobby Figueroa or Ross Salamone (who was also with the group in late 74 on some gigs) since it was hard to see details of the face from the angle.
Conclusions:  1) Badman's date of Dec 18 1974 as Ricky's last show is clearly based on Cahn's incorrect statement in Melody Maker. 
2) As far as the Nov Baltimore show-it was probably not Ricky.  However, it is not inconceivable that Ricky guested at a show-as he left on much better terms than Blondie had.  3) Ricky's last official gig was probably Sept 8 1974 Roosevelt Raceway.  However, I found two October shows not listed in Badman's book.  These shows probably took place while the group was in the Colorado area recording.  No reviews could be found in the relevant papers for the Nebraska or Texas shows-so we can't no for certain who was at them.  Ricky may have been there-but I doubt it. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Ian gives the false impression that all the info related below was a joint effort. This is complete tosh, of course - all I did was revise the website according to his new and excellent research.  

[oldsurferdude]

If you look at the Gigs/Sessions page at Bellagio (now hosted by ESQ) you will see that we have updated 1974 to say that Ricky Fataar's last concert was probably Sept 8 1974 (or possibly one of the shows in October).  Previously we had followed Keith Badman in listing Dec 18 1974 Fresno-as the date.  Why we changed the date and why we believe that Badman made this particular error follows:
1) Keith Badman utilized an article by Elliot Cahn from Melody Maker-who attended the Dec 19 1974 Bakersfield concert.  Cahn wrote "Dennis Wilson returned to the drums tonight."  Based on this misleadng statement by Cahn-Badman hypothesized that therefore the concert the night before must have been Ricky Fataar's last gig.  Hence he listed Dec 18 1974 in Fresno as Fataar's last show (by the way he incorrectly listed that show as the Warner Theatre when it was the Selland Arena).
2) Keith Badman made many errors in his book because he was writing under a deadline.  If a review was handy he used it-but he didn't check to see if all the concert dates he used were correct and trusted old lists/info and web sources too much.  He clearly did not look at many reviews of Nov and Dec 1974 concerts that are available in old newspapers.  As a result many of his venues are wrong too (compare the book to the corrected list at Bellagio)
3) Having collected all the available reviews of Nov and Dec 1974 Beach Boys concerts-I can attest that far from Dec 19 1974 being Dennis's return to the drums-he had drummed at all the shows since the Nov 12 1974 Niagara Falls gig.  Cahn's choice of words in his article were very poorly chosen and led Badman, in his haste, astray.
4) The Nov 16 1974 Billboard Magazine stated that Ricky Fataar had left the Beach Boys and was now with Joe Walsh's band.  Fataar is not mentioned in any  newspaper reviews of Nov and Dec 1974 shows-though other musicians present are frequently namechecked.  Indeed-Bobby Figueroa was present on these tours as second drummer/percussionist according to articles/reviews.
5) Another Elliot Cahn article from 1975 states that Dennis had two weeks to prepare for his return to the drums-after Rickys announcement-before the band went on tour again.  Clearly-then Ricky didn't leave in the middle of a tour.
6) One other source of confusion for Badman was the fact that C-Man had added a setlist to Eric' site for the Nov 22 1974 Baltimore show in which he stated that Ricky was present.  Having corresponded with C-Man-I know that he based this on some slides taken at the gig by the infamous Brad Elliot that he was shown about 10 years ago-in which there was a percussionist with long dark hair.  They both assumed it was Ricky-but now thinking about it again-C Man believes that it could have been Bobby Figueroa or Ross Salamone (who was also with the group in late 74 on some gigs) since it was hard to see details of the face from the angle.
Conclusions:  1) Badman's date of Dec 18 1974 as Ricky's last show is clearly based on Cahn's incorrect statement in Melody Maker. 
2) As far as the Nov Baltimore show-it was probably not Ricky.  However, it is not inconceivable that Ricky guested at a show-as he left on much better terms than Blondie had.  3) Ricky's last official gig was probably Sept 8 1974 Roosevelt Raceway.  However, I found two October shows not listed in Badman's book.  These shows probably took place while the group was in the Colorado area recording.  No reviews could be found in the relevant papers for the Nebraska or Texas shows-so we can't no for certain who was at them.  Ricky may have been there-but I doubt it. 

It's an unsettling feeling that hovers over this uncertainty concerning Texas and Nebraska as being Ricky's last show with the group. I mean how can one go on not knowing? It's somewhat similar to understanding whether or not the Rice weevil can crawl by the Metallic woodborer without being devoured. And then there's the Salt Marsh Harvest mouse...

[Jon Stebbins]

Despite the sarcasm leveled in the previous post, I greatly appreciate the attention to detail that Ian, Craig, Andrew and others are bringing to the table. Beach Boys history was unfortunately written in a fairly shoddy way until a small group of tenacious people dug in and found a factual thread that has more to do with what actually occurred as opposed to the perpetual cutting and pasting of myths and presumptions. Thanks for the post Ian, and I can add one small thing...Ricky once told me that he and Dennis "double drummed" on occasion...which must mean that Dennis was sticking his toe in the water prior to re-taking over the full-time drumming position in those last months of 1974.

[Ian]

I totally agree that it is hardly earth shattering stuff-but then again-the number of times I have seen people quote incorrect stuff that they got from someone else is kind of mind boggling.  I realized I was spreading that myself when I used to do my "This Day in BB History" posts without double checking stuff.  I think it is good to get facts straight because it can harm a book or article.  Doesn't detract from the greatness of the book-but I was sad when I saw that Peter Ames Carlin  (on page 195 of his book) said that the BBs opened their 1975 schedule with a sold out show at Madison Square Garden.  He had gotten that nugget from Keith Badman's book-which I am sure he assumed was a trustworthy source-but that fact was wrong.  Now that the error was in Carlin's book-it spreads to another book, etc, etc, etc.   Personally I really like it when everything is really as accurate as you can be-like Peter's Guralnick's two volume Elvis biography is the be all and end all of Elvis books because he actually took the time to go back and get the straight scoop rather than assuming that every fact in Jerry Hopkins et al was correct.  Mark Lewisohn did a similar service for the Beatles. 

[hypehat]

Seconded. oldsurferdude, don't be such an ass when these people are devoting serious time and energy to letting you know about your favourite band.

[c-man]

Just to elaborate a bit further on the whole question of Ricky "sitting in" with Dennis after his official departure date...
This is an idea that I had first advanced on the message boards some years back, based on a statement I saw printed in the June 17, 1976 issue of Circus Magazine (page. 59, in the middle of a short article on recent Fataar/Chaplin recording activities):  "Fataar, who has frequently joined recent Beach Boys tours..."), coupled with a photo that ran in the September 1977 issue of Hit Parader (pgs. 40-41) that shows the Boys onstage, obviously in 1974 or '75, in the following configuation:  Mike, Guercio, Al, Ricky, and Carl all standing at microphones in the foreground, and with two sets of drums visible on the riser in the background, one of them manned by a bearded man who appears to be Dennis Wilson (Guercio is playing bass, while Al, Ricky, and Carl are all holding guitars).  I seem to recall seeing this photo (credited to Preston Kent) on a poster somewhere years ago (maybe even on a wall in the background on some TV show).  Aside from the fact that I've never seen a 1974 photo of Dennis with a beard, it should be mentioned that Ross Salamone had a dark beard in those days (from what I've seen of him in the concert footage used in Guercio's film "Electra Glide In Blue", and so this could possibly be him rather than Dennis.  Having said that, the dude on drums in the pic looks more like a 1974ish Brian Wilson than anyone!  Anyhow, when I mentioned the Circus article and the Hit Parader photo in an e-mail conversation with "the infamous Brad Elliott" some years back, he told me that he saw both Dennis and Ricky, drumming together, at the November '74 Baltimore show.  He said he had slides made of some photos from the show, and went back to double-check...unfortunately, I never did see them myself...and I trusted that Brad Elliott would know the difference between Ricky Fataar and Bobby Figueroa, but who knows (a reviewer of the 1975 Wembley Stadium show sure didn't!).  Maybe one day we'll get to the bottom of the mystery...meanwhile, the 1976 Circus article brings up another interesting question by implying that Blondie's 1977 solo album (on which Ricky plays) was apparently originally intended to be more of a joint collaborative effort between the two fomer Flames and former BBs...here it is, in its entirety, from Tim Hogan's Back Pages column:

Ex-Beach Boys Forming Duo
Blondie Chaplin has been signed to a solo recording contract by Elektra/Asylum Records, and along with fellow ex-Beach Boy Ricky Fataar will be working on an album to be released this summer.  Both Chaplin and Fataar played an integral role on Beach Boys recordings and live appearances during the group's 'Carl and the Passions'/'Holland' era. 

The Chaplin-Fataar collaboration comes on the heels of the Beach Boys' own re-entry into the recording scene.  Fataar, who has frequently joined recent Beach Boys tours, discussed the project between sessions at his former group's Brother Studios.  He says the Elektra/Asylum album will be written mostly by Chaplin, although some of his songs will also be included.  Fataar's most recent work apart from the Beach Boys included an album recorded by David Cassidy and produced by yet another ex-Beach Boy, Bruce Johnston.

"We want to try the approach of rehearsing extensively and then going into the sudio and cutting the album like a live recording.  We cut some demo stuff like that and we were really satisfied with the way it came off - much fresher than just laying down drums and bass and then adding piano, guitars, etc., which is how most of the other stuff I've worked on has been."  Fataar said that the chief problem he and Chaplin encountered has been finding musicians suitable for the project.  "You can find people who just want to play gigs.  That's easy, but finding people who really want to play - that's something else again."

[Andrew G. Doe]

Bobby & Ricky were surely a problem back then - granted it was a poor video copy, but I was convinced it was Ricky drumming on the 1974 Rockin' New Year's Eve TV show, until someone set me straight.

[c-man]

Bobby & Ricky were surely a problem back then - granted it was a poor video copy, but I was convinced it was Ricky drumming on the 1974 Rockin' New Year's Eve TV show, until someone set me straight.

Well Andrew...you should've remained un-straight.  Yes, that is Ricky.  I've got a pretty decent video copy somewhere.  Sometimes you gotta trust your initial instincts!  BTW. for those who don't know, this appearance was recorded much earlier than December 31st...

[adamghost]

I'm gonna chime in here and say I LOVE the work Ian and Craig do.  In a world where increasingly facts and accuracy don't seem to matter, and people build entire political philosophies and belief systems on ideas and arguments that crumble with the slightest amount of objective research and the very concept of scientific examination is under attack, we need MORE wonks, and respect for them, not less.  Some people are desperate for this kind of attention to detail...as has been stated before, the details themselves may not be important, but they form the basis by which people tell a larger story, which IS important.  

More and more, people get crappy information that is based on self-reinforcing rumors and half-truths.  If we belittle the few people left that are really devoted to unearthing, carefully and perhaps even obsessively, the actual sequence of events, we've really reached a point where truth doesn't matter.  I think we're perilously close to that already.  Yeah, it's just one rock band, but there's a larger issue here.  These guys are rewriting the history of the band into a more accurate one, factoid by factoid.  That's a worthy contribution.

Btw, for another example of this, go to tighar.org.  A bunch of extremely rational, methodical dudes who sifted through mountains of first-hand evidence for years and are now really close to proving -- not just suggesting, but proving -- that Amelia Earhart in fact died on a desert island and not by crashing into the sea.  An example of what an open mind and careful, objective study can accomplish.

Keep it coming, guys.  I appreciate it.

[Ed Roach]

I wanted to jump in & sing my praise of these guys real quickly, too - honestly, before I even take time to read the original post.  I spotted it this morning, and couldn't wait to get to read it; now, I have to join Jon & Adam to thank C-Man, Andrew, Craig & Ian!  Your work has been invaluable to me in helping to arrange & remember times I either lived through myself, or experienced in music in a way we, (and I guess every one on this board) share from The Boys.
So many of the times I shared with Dennis were tied to significant, historical times - whether directly affected by us or not!  So I always knew that when I was really ready to look back at my life, the data was there for me.  Little did I realize how many years it would be, and how vast a task this would be...  Then I started seeing the work these guys were doing...
I've tried to be as helpful as I can be - we recently uncovered a missing drummer playing along Ricky in my footage of a San Francisco/Winterland show!  There's so much more that I need to dig into, having held so many tour itineraries & stuff.  (So much work, so little time...)  I'll comment on any memories after getting to read this in depth, but thanks again, and keep up the good work!

[Mikie]

I attended two Beach Boys concerts in 1974 - June 8 in Oakland (with Ricky) and December 21 in Sacramento (without Ricky). Took a bunch of pictures of the band. Dennis was at the June concert standing up front and was behind the drums in December. Both concerts he was beardless and in December he had real short hair. Remember asking my friend who the bass player was - later found out it was Guercio.

Good job, Ian!

[Bicyclerider]

Second the kudos to Ian and Craig et al for their work.  The more facts they turn up, the more I'm convinced that the Badman book is the single biggest source of misinformation about the Beach Boys ever published.  And it's influence is even more pernicious because it's laid out as a factual day by day account, rather than a memoir or biography based on the principal's recollections (which are frequently unreliable, but at least we know recollections can be reliable).  People assume the information in Badman was based on accurate research and data when in fact it was just a compilation of unchecked web sources and previous books.  It's unclear to me what, if any, actual research (checking newspapers, session sheets, Capitol archives, etc.) was done.

[metal flake paint]

If this attention to detail can be focused on Elvis and The Beatles, then I don't know why The Beach Boys should be excluded. I too praise the investigative efforts of everyone involved in setting the record straight.

Bobby & Ricky were surely a problem back then - granted it was a poor video copy, but I was convinced it was Ricky drumming on the 1974 Rockin' New Year's Eve TV show, until someone set me straight.

Well Andrew...you should've remained un-straight.  Yes, that is Ricky.  I've got a pretty decent video copy somewhere.  Sometimes you gotta trust your initial instincts!  BTW. for those who don't know, this appearance was recorded much earlier than December 31st...

Craig, do you happen to know what songs, apart from "Good Vibrations", "Darlin'", "Surfer Girl" and backing vocals on "Wishing You Were Here", the band performed at this gig?

A photo of the band taken at the show reveals Carl playing a 12-string guitar which he didn't use during "GV" or "Darlin'". I doubt that it's a shot of them playing "Surfer Girl" as the tambourine seems out of place and Carl is standing back from his mic in a song which features full group vocals throughout.

This is purely my theory:

Al is upfront and seems to be singing lead. Carl and Al appear to be playing an A chord. Mike is on tambourine suggesting an uptempo number. In Concert features such a song which was transposed from its original key of C# to the key of A during this period: "Help Me Rhonda".

I also recall seeing a banjo resting on top of one of the amps. IIRC Al played the banjo at Wembley in 1975 and that concert included "California Saga/California" so is it possible they played that here too?

[c-man]

If this attention to detail can be focused on Elvis and The Beatles, then I don't know why The Beach Boys should be excluded. I too praise the investigative efforts of everyone involved in setting the record straight.

Bobby & Ricky were surely a problem back then - granted it was a poor video copy, but I was convinced it was Ricky drumming on the 1974 Rockin' New Year's Eve TV show, until someone set me straight.

Well Andrew...you should've remained un-straight.  Yes, that is Ricky.  I've got a pretty decent video copy somewhere.  Sometimes you gotta trust your initial instincts!  BTW. for those who don't know, this appearance was recorded much earlier than December 31st...

Craig, do you happen to know what songs, apart from "Good Vibrations", "Darlin'", "Surfer Girl" and backing vocals on "Wishing You Were Here", the band performed at this gig?

A photo of the band taken at the show reveals Carl playing a 12-string guitar which he didn't use during "GV" or "Darlin'". I doubt that it's a shot of them playing "Surfer Girl" as the tambourine seems out of place and Carl is standing back from his mic in a song which features full group vocals throughout.

This is purely my theory:

Al is upfront and seems to be singing lead. Carl and Al appear to be playing an A chord. Mike is on tambourine suggesting an uptempo number. In Concert features such a song which was transposed from its original key of C# to the key of A during this period: "Help Me Rhonda".

I also recall seeing a banjo resting on top of one of the amps. IIRC Al played the banjo at Wembley in 1975 and that concert included "California Saga/California" so is it possible they played that here too?

Those are the only songs included in the show...perhaps they played more that were edited out.  Incidently, they also joined in on "Auld Lange Syne" with the other performers, who I recall as Olivia Newton-John, Chicago (the hosts), and others...

[c-man]

BTW, I think this is probably "Darlin'"...Carl usually played his 12-string on that one, and Mike played tambourine.  Mike and Al could be singing backup while Carl briefly steps away from the mic.  Carl usually played a capoed Strat on "Rhonda" during those days.

[metal flake paint]

BTW, I think this is probably "Darlin'"...Carl usually played his 12-string on that one, and Mike played tambourine.  Mike and Al could be singing backup while Carl briefly steps away from the mic.  Carl usually played a capoed Strat on "Rhonda" during those days.

Just watched "Darlin'" and sure, Mike's rattling the tambourine but Carl's playing his 6 string blonde finish Gibson ES-335.

[c-man]

BTW, I think this is probably "Darlin'"...Carl usually played his 12-string on that one, and Mike played tambourine.  Mike and Al could be singing backup while Carl briefly steps away from the mic.  Carl usually played a capoed Strat on "Rhonda" during those days.

Just watched "Darlin'" and sure, Mike's rattling the tambourine but Carl's playing his 6 string blonde finish Gibson ES-335.

Then it's probably "Wouldn't It Be Nice"...Al on lead, Carl on 12-string, Mike on tambourine...but it wasn't in the TV broadcast.

[MBE]

Why did Dennis miss the show?

[Ian]

I have the invite to the studio audience for that-it was taped on Nov 26-which is after I believe Ricky left the group. So maybe he played that show as a favor because Dennis was busy or ill or not in the mood.  He didn't have to leave California to do it.

[donald]

Who was drumming on the Nassau boot?  and what was the exact date?    I know this may be common knowledge to those who are all over this history, but I would like to know......and thus benefit from your meticulous research 

[c-man]

Who was drumming on the Nassau boot?  and what was the exact date?    I know this may be common knowledge to those who are all over this history, but I would like to know......and thus benefit from your meticulous research 

Nassau was June 14th.  Ricky was still in the band, playing drums, flute, and pedal steel on a few songs (and singing lead on "We Got Love").
Ed Roach has said that Dennis refused to do the Rockin' New Years Eve show because he didn't like the matching suits the guys all decided to wear!

[metal flake paint]

BTW, I think this is probably "Darlin'"...Carl usually played his 12-string on that one, and Mike played tambourine.  Mike and Al could be singing backup while Carl briefly steps away from the mic.  Carl usually played a capoed Strat on "Rhonda" during those days.

Just watched "Darlin'" and sure, Mike's rattling the tambourine but Carl's playing his 6 string blonde finish Gibson ES-335.

Then it's probably "Wouldn't It Be Nice"...Al on lead, Carl on 12-string, Mike on tambourine...but it wasn't in the TV broadcast.

Sure, could well be.