The Stephen Desper Thread

[The Shift]

Phenomenal.  Glorious. Unparalleled.

How's a chap supposed to get any work done with distractions of this magnitude?!

A million thanks, Mr Desper, and then some!

[Jukka]

Thank you, Mr. Desper, it's all too much! All this makes me love this beautiful music even more.

Gosh, all the small details I've missed so far...

[seltaeb1012002]

Awesome stuff Mr. Desper. Thanks for putting that together for us.

Cool to hear a 1970 Brian singing the Love To Say Dada melody in that muted line.

edit: Also, thanks to Will C. Btw, love your Beach Boys mashups!

[Jaco]

Thanks a lot! A great tune from the Sunflower album. Back then, I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, it was one of my first listenings to the music of the Beach Boys, and I became addicted to it ever since. Only many years later I discovered it had it's roots in SMiLE music.
This presentation reveals so many great details!

[Will C.]

Happy to hear you guys are enjoying this presentation!  Mr. Desper has done an amazing thing here offering his insight into the creation of such a magnificent Beach Boys classic.  It blew my mind while I was putting the video together, so I'm happy to see it's blowing some of your minds, too!

[pixletwin]

It's fascinating all the subtle things that can be buried in a mix that, when brought out through a presentation such as this, enrich the recording and deepen one's appreciation. Thank you for putting this together. I can't wait to attend the next segment.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Absolutely amazing. As a VERY young producer, I find this to be one of the most educational and enjoyable videos I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying.
Please, I know it must be a lot of work, but don't let these end here Mr. Desper! 

[Mikie]

Thanks very much for sharing this, Mr. Desper!  Good job, Will!  Please keep 'em coming!

Hadn't listened to this song in awhile and this brought new life into it!  Cool to listen to Brian's isolated vocals.  They shoulda left it in on that part!!  Those U-boat mics and Spacializer were really something, eh?  Sounds very cool with the speaks on the stereo set up right!

[guitarfool2002]

It is terrific to see the Beach Boys getting the "Behind The Music" treatment, long overdue and *very* much appreciated. Thank you!

Maybe at some point in the future record labels will tire of releasing and re-releasing "remastered" or "deluxe" album editions and will decide to make this kind of multi-track package available for those interested in the production elements of these classics. There is no better way to get a fresh take on a favorite album than hearing it like this.

[Stephen W. Desper]

COMMENT:

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Announcement  &  Guidelines for Use

With help from Will C. Music Productions I am proud to announce the first of many study-videos that will explore the sound production techniques I used in the making of Beach Boy and other artists’ music. These studies also include examples of my favorite mastering techniques applied to finished works. I believe you will find they clarify the music and expand the presentation in the stereo panorama. However, this "privilege of study" can cease to be, if abused. 

The study-videos provided under password covenant involve the use of copyrighted material. Copyright “Fair Use” rules and regulations allow for study and examination of copyrighted material provided that certain requirements are met. Navigating the Fair Use regulations is a slippery slope and open to much interpretation, depending on each particular situation.

Openly posted copies of copyrighted works proliferate the Internet today. In most cases these postings remain unchallenged by the copyright holder, and thus seem to be setting a broader precedence for tolerance. However, I caution you to be vigilant. The studies I am providing are not for use by the general public and are not openly posted nor should be openly posted. I have placed all these studies behind a password and non-descriptive web-address for a reason. Please respect my request that anything protected behind a password remain within and must be confined to this study. They are not be copied or posted elsewhere, such as Youtube.com, or to become the subject of a bootleg copy. To do otherwise is to tempt and/or “push” the Fair Use doctrine to a point that may not be tolerable or allowed by the copyright holder, resulting in the forced removal of the study(s).

I’m sorry to be so restrictive in my requests, but posting comments is one thing. Posting the actual music is another – even if used in a study format. All of these studies are available by privilege. Let us all respect that privilege and not violate the opportunity granted us for study by abusing the rules.

This message board is where I post. It is not connected with these study-videos.

These studies are provided for use by the dedicated and interested Beach Boy fan. Please feel free to share the study-site with fellow interested fans. But if you share, please caution those with whom you share of the restrictions that must be followed under this privilege.  Any copy of music or commentary should (1) be for personal use only, (2) not be for monetary gain, and (3) be in addition to purchased copies of the same material, i.e., not be used in place of the original purchasing of the musical product from a retail or Internet store.

All of the provided studies are designed to be reproduced over any stereo system, from small to large. I would encourage you to connect your computer to a good set of speakers or to your stereo system (via the headphone or output jack) for a complete realization of the music-subject explored in each study. I master for good sound. Connect your computer to the best sound you can. The listening rewards are enormous.
 
Required passwords can be seen by clicking on my name, then look under Website.

Please post all comments and/or discussions back onto this thread.   

Thank you and Good Listening,   ~Stephen W. Desper

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First Study Link >>> http://vimeo.com/willcmusicproductions/w583rthv42tr808ccw

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COMMENT:  Thanks to all fans.  Will C. and I took eight months to assemble CCW by dissection.  I doubt other songs will be studied with quite the intensity as I don't want to wait another year to post a song again. However, look forward to further in-depth study-videos.

Meanwhile, you still have the BONUS STUDY TRACK to hear.  From the feedback so far, it doesn't appear anyone has discovered it.  ~swd

[pixletwin]

I just heard bonus. It seems a much softer mix than what was released. I am going to need a few more listens. 

[punkinhead]

Dear Mr. Desper,

I was recently thinking of your comments on Murry (being a freight train going through a public library, the perfect analogy!). But my question is, when and where were your experiences with the man himself: Murry Wilson? I know your experiences with the group was more in the late 60s to mid 70s and I think the KTSA album (if I'm leaving something out, I apologize). So was it during the Breakaway sessions? Or the vocal sessions for Be Here in the Morning when he did the bass vocal? Just wondering, I'd love any information you can shed light on for what was going on musically at the time as well when he was present.

Thanks,

Justin

COMMENT:  The man himself?  I have no idea. I spent all of six hours with him in total. For an analysis of the man himself, I would look to the general consensus for my answer. I think Breakaway was one of the many songs in production when Murry came around.   ~swd

Thanks, I appreciate that. I'm not sure if my tone in the post sounded like I was asking about Murry in general...I really just wanted to hear what your experience was around him. I was just interested in what the sessions were like.

I think it's really awesome to have you on this board as a resource. It's really great to have someone who was involved around the Beach Boys eras I really dig the most!

[puni puni]

It's always great to hear "new" unreleased stuff. The gruff Brian voice really shows it's prototype stage at the "coolin' so coolin'" parts. Also, the quick Dada motif he recalls is invaluable.

I'm hoping All I Wanna Do is planned next. There's a wall of sound that needs to be torn down.

[Runaways]

sigh.  I never knew there was something called "expanded stereo".  What's the reason for songs not all sounding like this?

interesting that at 16:03 is essentially brian singing an "in blue hawaii" melody.  i like that.

[Will C.]

Cool, Cool Water is one of my all time favorite Beach Boys songs.  It was an honor to put this presentation together with Mr. Desper!  It's great to hear that there's many of you out there who are appreciating the project.  It truly is magical to hear these pieces of Cool Cool Water, with the fabulous insight and commentary by Desper.  One moment that blew my mind was at around 21:26 where we hear the background vocals that come in at the start of the third section of the song (the "Ooos" and "Drip Drips").  The vocal blend and sound that is created is total beauty when heard by itself.  What a layered masterpiece!  And how about at 25:32 with Mike's spectacular bass line bringing the vocals to a slice of complete bliss?  Stunning... it gets me every time.  

The sound of Cool Cool Water when heard processed through Desper's original spatial matrix and transient restoration device is something to behold.  I find it incredibly exciting that there are mixes from Sunflower and Surf's Up that still have not been heard the originally intended way.  What an amazing time to be given the privilege of hearing this mix of Cool Cool Water.  I think the original mixes as well as these extended audio presentations would be wonderful releases that I continue to wish would be given an official release someday.  Like the Pet Sounds Sessions and the more recent Smile Sessions, it offers a fly on the wall perspective into one of Rock and Roll's most exciting groups.  A glimpse into the greatness and immense talents that went into these very special recordings.  The masterful engineer Stephen W. Desper with The Beach Boys in such a great time period musically, building a reverb chamber out of an unused chauffeurs apartment.  It doesn't get any better than that!

[runnersdialzero]

Holy hell, this is an amazing listen. I could watch/listen to these all day long. Thank you both so much for the work you put into this!

[runnersdialzero]

Also, the quick Dada motif he recalls is invaluable.

Where's this?

[Dunderhead]

That was absolutely captivating. I don't even know what to say other than wow!!

[Dunderhead]

All I Wanna Do and 'Til I Die would be wonderful to hear like this

[The Shift]

Day in The Life of a Tree also... One my favourite codas there, just awaiting dissection! Not to mention the Surf's Up coda...

[18thofMay]

WOW.. So Cool

[king of anglia]

Incredible. Thanks so much for this Mr. Desper. You are really an awesome man.

[Jukka]

Just listened to this for the second time. So much stuff I didn't notice the first time. It almost scares me to imagine how much stuff and layers there is on every Beach Boys track (especially of this era)... So much stuff i haven't noticed. What can I say, The Beach Boys' music is a gift that just keeps on giving.

And I would like to thank Mr. Desper personally, because it was his thread which guided me to this board. I was searching info on the "She's Going Bald" pitch effect, found this thread, and got sucked into the world of Smiley Smile board, a treasure trove of BB information if there ever was one. And the more I know, the more I love this band. And music. And life. So, thank you. Thank you for the recordings, thank you for the stories.

[pixletwin]

We shouldn't forget to thank Wil. C for putting this excellent presentation together for us!

[Will C.]

We shouldn't forget to thank Wil. C for putting this excellent presentation together for us!

Thanks pixletwin!