The Smiley Smile Message Board

How did Brian pull off a nearly Pet Sounds-level backing track in '76? It's just jaw dropping to listen to on the MIC box set.

I dig the vocals on the full 15 Big Ones version, but they are a bit rough at times, and not really up to the stellar beauty of the backing track. I imagine that fans listening to this track in '76 on the 15BO album would have probably thought the full version of "Had to Phone Ya" was good (or even great), but wouldn't really quite have known just how ace the backing track was without hearing it on its own.

If it had been an instrumental on the album, I'd imagine some people would have thought it possible that Brian was still maybe, just maybe capable of pulling off another Pet Sounds level album.

We know this song started out as "Trombone Dixie" during the Pet Sounds era, so it had older roots. Maybe Brian felt this was a "lost" track from that golden era, that nudged him to put that much more care into the recording? I can't think of another song after this one which Brian put quite as much care to produce a backing track close to Pet Sounds level (IMO, of course).

I was thinking the same thing listening to it last night or the other night. I've been really into BB backing tracks and that one is stunning. It is so much more complex than 99% of 15 Big Ones that it is pretty baffling of the quality of that one, especially by 1976 standards. I suppose some of the wrecking crew played on it right? Could be part of the reason why it's so good, but still.. it is credited as being produced, arranged and even conducted by Brian. Very impressive for the time.

Sax: Steve Douglas & Jay Migliori
Clarinet: Dennis Dreith & Jules Jacobs
Bass: Lyle Ritz
Violins: Sidney Sharp, Arnold Belnick & Henry Ferber
Trumpet: Bobby Shew
Drums: Dennis Wilson
Guitar: Ed Carter & Billy Hinsche
Piano: Brian Wilson

"Had To Phone Ya" epitomizes, for me anyway, the reality or the "real state" of Brian Wilson in 1976. When you listen to the "Had To Phone Ya" track (and many more on 15 Big Ones), and the Love You album, on one hand you felt that Brian still had "it". But, on the other hand, mainly with the vocals that Brian allowed to be recorded/released, you felt that something was very seriously wrong. You went from feeling really good, almost wanting to go "Yes!", to, maybe 30 seconds later, scratching your head and thinking "WTF..." ???

For me not so much 'WTF', but more a raw, honest ambiguity. Of course it was not the Brian we were used to... but IMHO it is to his credit that he did not want to deceive anyone in this respect. He's always been very much of an 'as is' man. He could have done take after take and then released the most sweet vocal he could come up with... or even have Carl or Mike, or Al do his stuff.

But not so: he presented himself to us as he was at the time. As he always did and does.

Absolutely. Honesty is one of the best qualities of Brian's work in 1976. It is "so Brian", unlike a lot of his later solo stuff, which sounds manufactured. And, that's why I love 15 Big Ones and Love You. So, maybe you say "WTF" when you realize that this IS really who Brian Wilson is today, or what he became.

Yup. I think 'Imagination' is for me the prime example of 'manufactured', including the portrait on the cover, which I jokingly referred to as: the son of Brian Wilson, at the time.

I agree, Imagination is so overly produced in one of the most horrible ways.
Everything twinkles and blegh.

As you've hinted, a big reason is simply because it was based on Trombone Dixie.

When hearing the backing track, I imagine that the other Boys would have been slightly floored, to say the least, that Brian pulled off such an amazing production at that point. Not that backing tracks of Brian's from just a few years prior weren't also amazing, like "Til I Die", "This Whole World", etc... but "Had To Phone Ya" just so specifically recalls his work at the Pet Sounds era (which I imagine even in 1976 was thought by the band to have unquestionably been their high water mark + artistic pinnacle), that I'd think they would've really thought that Brian still had his full powers up his sleeve to use when he wanted to.

It's just a bit odd to me that most fans/critics (and possibly the band themselves to some degree?) didn't seem to quite notice that at the time. Or maybe the band noticed, but Brian simply wasn't able to deliver in that way in a consistent manner. I guess some people noticed just how rad this track is, since someone must've made an extra effort to boot the backing track, as a poor quality backing track of this song was making the boot rounds for years.

I have a feeling a lot of us might be surprised if we heard some more of the backing tracks from 15 Big Ones. One reason why I really enjoy that album is the some of the arrangements are pretty damn unique. They sound like insipid watered down dated 70s productions to some people at first, but there is something kind of complex about some of the arrangements or just something different Brian added to the mixes that made things interesting. For example, like someone mentioned before, besides the synths in general which I love, the "strings" synth pads in Chapel Of Love do have a slight delay to it that adds a lot of character. Also the saxes sound amazing (the Tallahassee Lasse portion for example).

It's just a shame the song sequence could have been better. I really think that's what killed the album. Too many mediocre selections I guess, looking at it objectively. Some of the outtakes are way better than some tracks  that made the album (Mony Mony, Michael Row The Boat Ashore and Sea Cruise are all awesome covers).

I concur... I feel 15 Big Ones is one of the BBs most underrated albums. It's probably because of the vocals, which have their share of less than stellar moments, and obviously because it was seemingly marketed as Brian's "return to form".

But really, the backing tracks seem very proto-Love You, and have lots + lots of unique touches. I think if someday, all BB albums are released Pet Sounds Sessions style with backing tracks + isolated vocals (I won't hold my breath, but hopefully someday), the 15 Big Ones backing tracks will reveal some hidden gems that have been very overlooked.

I said this in the album review thread but I've come to enjoy 15 Big Ones a lot more now that I listen to the album for its sonic textures and arrangements and not necessarily as a collection of songs. If I did that, then I definitely would be disappointed by 2/3 of the album, and I was for the longest time since that's what I was doing. Now, however, I notice the really cool blending of synth and guitar tones on the main riff of "Talk to Me" or the sheer power of entirety of "Just Once in My Life" and so on. Actually, I think that album is really interesting for how Brian combines synthesizers and guitars in his arrangements throughout. That and "Pallisades Parks" really cooks, I love that song!

I totally agree and that's how I mainly listen to the album.. There are indeed some interesting blending of synths with regular instruments and especially for 1976, it is really cool to hear. Not a lot of people were doing that yet at that time.

I think a few songs are just awesome from start to finish. Just Once In My Life, Talk To Me, Chapel of Love, Palisades Park, It's OK, Had To Phone Ya.. at least half of the album is really good imo.

‍

I seem to recall this album being trashed frequently on some of the BB chat rooms and message boards a few years ago.

I've always liked most of the LP .  glad to see it is being appreciated by more fans. 

Now the real question is: how does the original version of Had to Phone Ya (American Spring's performance) fit into all this?

It's...ok.


Pun not entirely intended.

It was recorded December 1972 or January 1973, so I'd have to say, it fits right in between "Trombone Dixie" and 15 BO. I believe the word is "transitional"... or maybe "nascent"... possibly "prototypical". Anyway, it was recorded first, and you can take that to the bank.

Really enjoyed the praise for 15 BO expressed here. It's been unfairly dismissed numerous times, I recall the commentary of Dave Marsh in some review book of his; appalling in terms of its superficiality.

Someone mentioned the string synth delay in Chapel Of Love, which was a great idea, I concur. It flavours the whole cover. Then there is the sax intro to Blueberry Hill, and its bass pattern. Just Once In My Life is a great cover, as heartfelt as it gets. It's OK is a true BBs summer smash, in fact I like it more than Do It Again (not so much the composition per se, but the production).

Unfortunately, there are things that mar the album. Everyone's In Love With You is too sickly sweet. That Same Song is better with that Baptist Choir. A Casual Look is mediocre at best. And Susie Cincinnati is badly produced, it's grating on the ears.

All in all, a good LP which could have been a great one.

(Everything IMHO, of course.)

Had To Phone you is a lovely BW slice of life tune a la Busy Doing Nothing, etc. love if when Marilyn (or is it Diane?!?!) answers the phone at the end.

Had to Phone Ya and Just Once in My Life are certainly the best productions on the album.

Much of 15 Big Ones is bilge though and it deserves its bad reputation. The less said about dreck like TM Song and In the Still of the Night the better.

If you take "Everyone's In Love With You" at face value, it is not so bad. I wish that I could go back in time before I heard that it was about the Maharishi. It takes on a different flavor when you know the particulars.

I agree. When I first heard the song, and for a year or so after that, I liked it - including the lyrics - because I thought it was about an attractive girl who everybody fell in love with, but she never found love herself. Then, when Mike began introducing the song in concert, well, that changed everything.

There a number of well thought out, nicely arranged, good songs on 15 Big Ones. I always thought "It's OK" and "Palisades Park" could stand with a lot of Brian's stuff from his heyday. Even "That Same Song"; I think it's a well-written song, with an nice intro, verse, chorus, and a little tag. But, Brian can't bring it to fruition because of his vocal. Same with "Back Home"; it's a well-done song/track. Some like Brian's vocal, others might wince, but the song does get going.

There's Mike's "a bow, bow, bow" on "Chapel Of Love". The "Tallahassee Lassie" segment leaves you wanting for more. For such a short song, "TM Song" has a lot going on there; I like the melody on the "What time is it, how long has it been..." part. There's something wrong with "Blueberry Hill", but parts of it are cool.

Brian was still very creative in 1976. Think of all the stuff, really neat stuff that he did that year, including the Love You album. I'd still like to know more about what happened to him in 1978....and....Landy must've really whacked him out in 1983 because, creatively, he's never been the same.

Your last remark puzzles me, SJS, although I can empathise partly with the point you make. Well, let me challenge you: what about the best of the Paley sessions? About 'Melt Away', and the 'surf ballad segment' in 'Rio Grande' (which I am very partial to)? About 'TWGMTR' (the single, as classic as BW gets)?

I'll see that and raise you "Midnight's Another Day".

Indeed... Its always been a favourite track of mine. The backing track would have been even better with drums.

In the 1960's and much of the 1970's, Brian Wilson was composing and arranging music that, frankly, could only come from the mind of Brian Wilson. From "I Went To Sleep" to"This Whole World" to "My Solution" to "A Day In The Life Of A Tree" to "Mt. Vernon And Fairway" to "Child Of Winter" to "We Gotta Groove" to "Johnny Carson" to "Solar System" to "Mike Come Back To L.A.", these songs were "so Brian". They were so damn creative, original, quirky, spontaneous, and honest.

But, again, something happened when Brian was hospitalized in 1978, and, again, when Landy took him away in 1983. When Brian resurfaced he was different; you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Listen to his first solo song, "Let's Go To heaven In My Car". It's so generic, uninteresting, almost a "Brian Wilson by numbers" production. And, unfortunately, in my opinion, that trend continued. You mentioned "Melt Away", which is a perfect example of what I am referring to. I find the song to be incredibly overrated, nevermind the fact that Brian shouts the entire lead vocal, and, I think it was ripped off from Dennis Wilson's "Moonshine" and "Farewell My Friend".

All of those qualities that I listed above in referring to Brian's 1960's and 70's work seemed to have disappeared. I don't hear creative arrangements, humor, brilliance, quirkiness, and originality. I hear recycled riffs and themes. I think that Brian's diminished vocal performance post-1983 is not given enough weight in explaining why his later work does not reach the heights of his earlier work. But, I think the overwhelming reason - in my opinion and I know many others disagree - is the lack of creativity. It seems dulled, manufactured, and recycled. We could get into several reasons why that was/is - trying to get a hit record, trying to make Brian appear "normal", Brian's lost his talent, Brian not actually writing or arranging the material (I am very skeptical about Brian's contributions to certain songs including "TWGMTR"), etc. Do fans listen to Brian's solo records NEARLY as much as Beach Boys' albums? Are you fulfilled by Brian's solo work? Which Brian solo tracks blow your mind? Are there a lot of them? Does that explain my position any better? Sorry for the negativity....Merry Christmas, huh... :-D

I know what you're saying. I think he lost a ton of the magic and creativity in the 80s that he had left in the late 70s. I am a HUGE fan of Brian Wilson '88 too.. I actually think it is quite an awesome record (Melt Away, Let It Shine, Rio Grande, Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long are all amazing tunes), but still I feel only about half or so of the record has that BW "magic" to it, and like you said, a lot of it is recycled and mostly not really stuff that is idiosyncratic that he's been doing in the 70s with Love You and whatnot. That was a definite "Too many cooks" situation and the production suffered and sounds sterile compared to what he could do before.

Andy Paley was good for him, but that album is saturated with collaborators (and Landy trying to intervene, though he did come up with good lyrics here and there). The lack of the other Beach Boys on the tracks might be part of the reason, since "In My Car" I think is quite awesome and is close to having that "magic" except the production is still not up to par compared to past glories.

(Then again who else who had fame in the 60s survived the 80s? Everyone sucked when the 80s came so it's a surprise the BBs and BW actually did do some good stuff.. Still I'm just observing and thinking out loud)

It's sad that Brian really hasn't done any of his own productions since '76/'77... I know that Brian can still be in control and I've read stories how Brian can still be a producer and do things his way. He still knows how to create magic in the studio, but for some reason something always holds him back these days. I wish someone would just put him in the studio, let him do his thing and just create stuff on his own. Obviously collaborators don't hurt, he's been using them for decades, even in his prime, but production-wise, I'd love to see another "Love You" come out. Or an album that he is completely in control and does things his way, with no input from anyone else. Maybe that's how he does things these days? I doubt it though.

I think it's simple: age.

How many artists are as creative in their 40s, 50s and 60s as they are in their 20s and 30s?

I also think "Pacific Coast Highway" stacks up with anything Brian wrote from 1975 on, though.

Surf ballad segment of Rio Grande, what part is this?

I honestly thought Everyone's in Love with you was written for Brian, how everyone's in love with him and wanted him back...this and Had to Phone Ya had very different backing instrumentals, compared to the rest of the albums tracks (bedsides Al's Susie Cincinatti, obvious reasons why), I feel like EILWY and HTPY are a little more orchestral driven and the rest are synth driven (it's a wonder Brian didn't know how to use a synth during the 80s Usher Sessions!). I know Mike "arranged" EILWY, but Brian produced it, right?

How does Moonshine and Farewell my Friend sound like Melt Away?
I actually thought Brian had never heard the POB album. ;D

If you really wanna know the answer...you can get it in a few days  ;D

Just because Brian's said he's never heard something doesn't mean it's true.  ;D

Well, that depends. I consider myself a fan and have listened to TLOS way more often than CATP, Holland, 15BO, Love You, and LA combined. I listen to any of the '65-'66 albums way more than TLOS, however.

If some random guy had recorded two albums in the 1960s and one of them featured only Brian and the other the full BBs on vox, it would be the latter I'd listen more to.

Zachrwolfe - not sure I know which drum OD you are referring to... what part (or timecode) of the song is it?

The main drum part was overdubbed. When Mark mixed the instrumental track for MIC, he and Alan decided to leave it off and present the track only (interestingly, the strings were recorded live, then doubled).

Hmm... interesting. I'm gonna give the "Had to Phone Ya" versions another A-B comparison listen.

I wonder how many of these MIC instrumental-only/vocal-only mix decisions that have omitted or changed parts of the song were done out of necessity (out of available elements), for some band political reason, or if the band (or Mark/Allan) just liked it better that way, and got approval on it?  An honest account, track-by-track for that information would make for some liner notes that I'd love to read :)

Another MIC different mix that has kinda bugged me a bit is the vocal-only version of "This Whole World", which seems to really dial down in volume Brian's "oooh-wooo-wooos" around 1:22. It's always been one of my fave parts of the song (in the song's full version), but it's waaay quieter in the MIC vocals-only mix, for reasons unknown to me.

‍