Can't Wait Too Long

[Sheriff John Stone]

I'm working on the 57th version of my personal SMiLE fan mix. Not that I found any new material, I just like to change it up occasionally. This edition is going to take the "kitchen sink" approach, using almost every tidbit I can find. However, I'd like to use only SMiLE era (1966-67) recordings. So my question is this:

Did "Can't Wait Too Long" have any roots in SMiLE? Did Brian record anything, even a snippet, that can be considered the genesis of "Can't Wait Too Long" in 1966 or early 1967? Or did the very first recordings originate sometime around the Wild Honey sessions?

[Rocker]

It uses the bassline of "Wind chimes" at some point but that's about the only Smile-connection I know of.

[SloopJohnB]

It uses the bassline of "Wind chimes" at some point but that's about the only Smile-connection I know of.

Same here. And I think it has been recorded for the first time in late 1967 / early 1968. But I've included it as a bonus track on my two SMiLE mixes...

[Sheriff John Stone]

It uses the bassline of "Wind chimes" at some point but that's about the only Smile-connection I know of.

Same here. And I think it has been recorded for the first time in late 1967 / early 1968. But I've included it as a bonus track on my two SMiLE mixes...

I've used it before also, but lately I'm questioning why. Just because it "sounds" like a SMiLE track? If that was the case, you could use "Diamond Head" or "You're Welcome". I have been using the water chant from Sunflower's "Cool, Cool Water" because I like the wind sound effects.

It's hard to believe that just because, many years ago, somebody stuck it on a SMiLE bootleg that it got a life of its own.

I think I'm going to represent "Can't Wait Too Long" by using that short a capella snippet from the Hawthorne CD Disc 2.  I'll find a cool place to insert it.

[SloopJohnB]

It uses the bassline of "Wind chimes" at some point but that's about the only Smile-connection I know of.

Same here. And I think it has been recorded for the first time in late 1967 / early 1968. But I've included it as a bonus track on my two SMiLE mixes...

I've used it before also, but lately I'm questioning why. Just because it "sounds" like a SMiLE track? If that was the case, you could use "Diamond Head" or "You're Welcome". I have been using the water chant from Sunflower's "Cool, Cool Water" because I like the wind sound effects.

It's hard to believe that just because, many years ago, somebody stuck it on a SMiLE bootleg that it got a life of its own.

I think I'm going to represent "Can't Wait Too Long" by using that short a capella snippet from the Hawthorne CD Disc 2.  I'll find a cool place to insert it.

Actually, I do use "You're Welcome", just because I remember hearing it as a child (my father had, and still has a "Heroes & Villains" 45, with "You're Welcome" as the B-side) and I've liked it since then. For "Can't Wait Too Long", it's because it was on the two first SMiLE bootlegs I had heard... And it was one of the tracks that had shocked me the most then. 

Edit: historical accuracy doesn't have a lot of importance in my SMiLE mixes... Since they're made "just for fun", I don't care whether all tracks are really associated with SMiLE or not, as long as they are associated for me... It's the same for "Three Blind Mice", a 1965 instrumental included on some SMiLE boots: it has nothing to do with SMiLE, but I discovered it at the same time... Plus, it sounds SMiLE-ish. So I include it as a bonus track too.

[chris.metcalfe]

I seem to remember Miles Davis' 'Here Come De Honey Man' from 'Porgy and Bess' (Gershwin) being included on an early Smile boot because it sounded Smile-like, as well (it doesn't)!

[Andrew G. Doe]

I seem to remember Miles Davis' 'Here Come De Honey Man' from 'Porgy and Bess' (Gershwin) being included on an early Smile boot because it sounded Smile-like, as well (it doesn't)!

Not so - it was included as a tracker. Worked like a charm, too.

[Sheriff John Stone]

historical accuracy doesn't have a lot of importance in my SMiLE mixes... Since they're made "just for fun", I don't care whether all tracks are really associated with SMiLE or not, as long as they are associated for me...

I used to, and sometimes, still feel that way also. When I make mixes for myself, everything is fair game. I've started out my mixes with "You're Welcome" several times. I just love that "You're welcome to come" line as the opening line. You know, "You're welcome to come on the journey, the trip, the SMiLE trip. I usually save "Our Prayer" for near the end. It's more of a nighttime song, or a closing song.

Then I started making SMiLE mixes for others, and I felt this sense of responsibility, like I had to be true to actual, or real SMiLE tracks. It's like I didn't want to deceive anyone by putting on tracks that weren't meant  for SMiLE. It was kind of the "purist" approach. Now, I put on mostly SMiLE recoprdings, but still sneak in the occasional 1971 "Surf's Up".

I think I've been reading too many BB message boards....

[PongHit]

Not so - it was included as a tracker. Worked like a charm, too.

Tracker?  What's that mean, in this context?

[endofposts]

I think Andrew meant it was added to a Smile master tape to help figure out who was the source of bootlegs.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Anybody use "Tones" or "Tune X"?

[Andrew G. Doe]

I think Andrew meant it was added to a Smile master tape to help figure out who was the source of bootlegs.

Precisely. Back in the past - say, oh, the early 80s - a certain fan, who for the sake of this post we won't name (let's call him, oh, Tortilla Bed) was given a Smile tape by another renowned fan, Term Puree (surprisingly, another alias) with strict instructions not to copy it for anyone. You work out the rest...

BTW, trackers are not always as obvious as bogus tracks... 

[Exapno Mapcase]

Surprises me that Tortilla Bed wasn't more aware...

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Where'd you come up with those aliases?  That was so random!

[Andrew G. Doe]

An online anagram generator is a wonderful thing. 

[Steve Mayo]

I seem to remember Miles Davis' 'Here Come De Honey Man' from 'Porgy and Bess' (Gershwin) being included on an early Smile boot because it sounded Smile-like, as well (it doesn't)!

Not so - it was included as a tracker. Worked like a charm, too.

yeah, i personally talked to this original source back in 1985. he/she told me that the miles davis song was put on the tape because it would let him/her know if any tapes were leaked as to who the leaker was and also because he/she liked the song and it sounded "airy" to them. and that is why the md song is on the 1st smile vinyl boot. this person got quite a chuckle out of that story.

[endofposts]

An online anagram generator is a wonderful thing. 

My understanding is that a number of fans are also not too happy with Mr. Tortilla Bed. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Ain't that the truth!

An online anagram generator is a wonderful thing.

Yes indeed.

[The Shift]

An online anagram generator is a wonderful thing. 

My understanding is that a number of fans are also not too happy with Mr. Tortilla Bed. 

I remember that Tortilla Bed bloke, he owes plenty of us money. I hope he gets bad bellirot.


That's a poor "anagram", I know.

Maybe when the First Wave stuff goes out of copyright we might get satisfaction, like the Elvis 5.1 set I picked up last week?

[SloopJohnB]

After 6/7 minutes of hard work, I've finally managed to identify "Tortilla Bed" and "Term Puree"... 

I was totally unaware of that "tracker" thing... Pretty clever!

[The Shift]

Terre Pume, it has to be said, has always struck me as a wonderful, honourable, loyal guy and folk should not  perceive his name in association with the bootlegging activities of  Drab. Yes, we all love bootlegs, but that betrayal of trust seems to me to have been a bit too much.

Back to Can't Wait Too Long -  I always assume (rightly or wrongly, I don't mind which) that the first and last bits of the first version I can remember hearing were SMiLE out-takes.

The first was what I called "the camp-fire intro", with accapella group humming, followed by a thumping instrumental accompanied (I recall) by handclaps.

The closing section I associate (rightly or wrongly, I don't mind which) with SMiLE was the "Baby you know that I, can't wait for ever, woke in the night again, we werem't together, windows of darkness are all I can see through, searching the shadows, hoping to see you…" section, and the descending base scales that followed.

That the latter made it on to the Sea of Tunes SMiLE set just added weight to my theory (rightly or wrongly, I don't mind which).

[Andrew G. Doe]

Small prob with "CWTL" being Smile out-takes - the earliest session was October 1967. 

[Steve Mayo]

After 6/7 minutes of hard work, I've finally managed to identify "Tortilla Bed" and "Term Puree"... 

I was totally unaware of that "tracker" thing... Pretty clever!

yeah and another trick back 25-30 yrs ago with traders was to pan the sound to left or right while making someone a copy of your tape. they would also keep a list of who they traded what with and alter when they panned the sound. just another way they could track exactly who leaked stuff they said they wouldn't do. explains why some may have old tapes of songs and such with the sound to one side for awhile. another trick that worked.

[Jonas]

srsly who are these guys? I cant figure it out

[The Shift]

Small prob with "CWTL" being Smile out-takes - the earliest session was October 1967. 

... assuming that section was called CWTL at the time it was recorded, and not just salvaged from the sessions of another song. On the SoT set (I'm going by memory... it might have been Archaeology, or even another set), the final descending bass riff was labelled "Heroes". So many SMiLE songs were renamed, or became something else... can it be proven definitively that those sections I'm refering to were recorded as CWTL, and that they were definitely recorded in or after October 1967?