The Smiley Smile Message Board

A few seconds before the master take for "That's Not Me" (as presented on the PS box set) starts, a voice asks Carl the question as written in the title of this thread. 

Two questions:  Who's asking?  Terry Melcher?  I haven't heard his speaking voice from that time enough to confirm.

Also, What Carl Wilson guitar book is he talking about? 

maybe his guitar came with a manual or something

That's possible.  The conversation leading up to that moment isn't available.  I think Carl would know how to work a Fender Strat or Jaguar by then though...

Carl had a "play the Beach Boys songs on guitar" chord book out back in the mid-'60s. It was the basic sheet-music folio size, with photos of Carl's hands playing chords. Shows up on eBay occasionally.

OK, so this kind of deal:

(http://www.stthomasu.ca/~pmccorm/research/carlwilson64d.jpg)

I figured as much.

That's it, exactly!

And Carl may or may not have read it.  ;)

I've never seen anybody finger those chords the way Carl is executing them.  Are these common chord voicings for 12-string players?

I don't think the voicings are that strange, it's the angle of the photography and also some personal quirks Carl seems to have, mainly in where he stores his pinky when not in use.

Going left to right across the rows:

The C he's doing is a power chord C5 kind of thing

The G is just a standard "E Barre" shape, but he's doing the thumb wraparound and leaving out one of the octaves of "G".

The A7 is kind of strange, but useful in Carl's style.

The E6 is kind of odd, looks like the 6th is in the bass.

The rest are all pretty stock, but shot from terrible angles.

Right.  I bought that book (still have it with several others from that BB era) when it came out.  I had been playing guitar about a year or so and thought "hot rod, man, now I can learn that cool lead stuff" like the cover said.  Of course, there was hardly any "lead stuff" included other than a couple of fills here and there, just the melody lines and chord strumming patterns.  Then again, few of the songs in the book had much "lead stuff" anyway so I don't know what I was thinking in the first place. And those "Carl's favorite chords" photos, good grief, what a con that was. Right up with his promised "specials tips", which go something like "practice a lot and keep extra strings in your case".  Right on. Oh well, I did learn a bunch of BB songs, though so it wasn't all bad.  Just a little disappointing.

Yeah, it's too bad that that kind of book wasn't more interesting.  I've seen some really boring Beatles guitar books like that, too.

Were there any decent pictures, at least?

I have the sixties Pet Sounds book, and it's just so innaccurate...I think it still had the 3701 W.119th Street address on it.

"Were there any decent pictures, at least?"

Yes, there were, tho' nothing special, a couple of what were TV shows (one from a Shindig rehearsal, on pipe scaffolding, only Carl with a guitar, no striped shirts), and a couple of standard promos. One nice "in action" Boston concert shot of Carl shot upwards from the floor level.  Carl has the Rick in the 3 performance shots, Al is playing a Fender Jag in one, I think the one we've seen with a red guard.  Actually, looking at the promo group shot again, Carl is holding that one. It's a common shot, the one with Carl sitting down holding the Jag upright and the others over him in a "column". The book was published in 1965.



"I have the sixties Pet Sounds book, and it's just so innaccurate"

Right.  A wrong chord here and there can really mess up a 15-year old learning guitar on his (my!) own.  A bunch of their sheet music seemed to have that problem, although I've never really looked that closely at some of the scored arrangements.  I have the other three early foiios - Pet Sounds/SD (& SN) (portfolio 3), the first one with a "Shut Down II" photo on the front, and  Portfolio 2,  with a "Today" cover shot.  They're OK overall I guess but all in error here and there (one or two absolutely glaring). One thing I've noticed is that different books over the years have some of the songs in different keys ( and weird ones at that - I guess Brian was writing for particular voices and range of the song).  The latter two had some great color photos. At $2 American forty years ago, who's complaining?

(p.s.  #2 and #3 have the Whittier address.  The first one plus the one that started this thread have Hawthorne, which is interesting because it and #2 were both published in 1965.)

I've got a few of these as well, put away somewhere, so I'm mixed up on the addresses.  What was that Whittier address?  Murry's house?

"What was that Whittier address?  Murry's house?"

Sea of Tunes Publishing Company, 9042 La Alba Avenue, Whittier, CA 90603

Always figured it was Murry's place.

The others on my music shelf:

"The Beach Boys Complete"  (1973) has the 1971 Rolling Stone article  'California Saga' by Tom Nolan.  Songs from various albums from SG/LDC/ASL/mid-60's era through 20/20, plus Little Girl I Once Knew and - - - - Sidewalk Surfin'. (This also has a short publisher's note on "playing like the Beach Boys", pointing out that the guitar player will likely be confused if not outright disappointed to find out it's hard to duplicate the "lush" sounds of the Boys and their jazz-chord arrangments, with a guitar or two.  No kidding. I couldn't do it with five more pianos and organs, another half-dozen guitars, a 50-piece orchestra and a Chinese gong in my living room.)

"Surf's Up/Sunflower" - all songs.  Published by Brother Publishing and Wilojarston Music

"15 BO" - all songs.  Published by Almo Publications

"Beach Boys Complete" (1984)  A number of oldies, mid-60's  and album cuts/B-sides like Drive-In, Do You Remember, Custom Machine, etc.  but also 15BO and Love You

Keep waiting for the real "Complete"

All of these appear from time to time on EBay or other places

Also, (Original) Christmas Album (published 1985)  Everything but White Christmas.  Just found this a few months ago - had never heard of it before.

Almost forgot - the "handwritten" Stack-O-Tracks songbook - falling to pieces and locked away (but in better shape than my 1973 "Complete")

There was also a Love You book that I missed getting when it was on the shelves.

Lots of Hal Leonard-type folios out there, most of them covering the same group of early songs.

Thank heavens for Francis Greene and his chord charts! (but did you ever notice that in a lot of these charts, particularly off the net, the chords are not in the right place over the lyric? Sometimes takes a lot of trial and error at the piano or guitar, mostly error in my case)

I agree, Francis Greene is a phenomenal resource.  Like any chord charts on the internet, you have to use your own judgment and reject or change some of what he says, but he is a lot more accurate than what you find on ultimate guitar or similar sites.  And maybe it's me, but Beach Boys songs have by far the most difficult, unusual, and complex chord progressions of any pop music act I'm aware of, so Francis really did a yeoman's job.

Personally, as I have tried learn their songs myself on guitar, the respect I have for the Beach Boys has grown exponentially.

"Personally, as I have tried learn their songs myself on guitar, the respect I have for the Beach Boys has grown exponentially."

Isn' t that the truth.  And it's not just the obvious songs.  Take a listen at "No Go Showboat", for example, and tell me that's just a simple 60's garage band hot rod job.  Heck, take any of them.  There's so much music going in each one that a lot of people just plain miss.  When I play "Full Sail" on the piano,  just working around the chords, and then listen to the recording,  I always notice little things that you usually don't find many other places, and I can't even explain them. They're just "there". It's a matter of "wow, who would have thought of that?"  Not me. And that's just "Full Sail".  Never mind the 17 years of stuff that came before.  And the same when on guitar.  Just amazing music. Sounds simple - but it's not.   Cheers

BTW is there a book or something, were you can really learn how to play like Carl? Or do you know a book about Chuck Berry (sorry for being off-topic). I'm searching for that kind of book for quite a time...

There are a couple of fun DVDs that show how to play a few Beach Boys hits (4 per volume):


http://www.ordermusictoday.com/Item-Details.aspx?id=%20%20%20%20903582&PN=0

http://www.ordermusictoday.com/Item-Details.aspx?id=%20%20%20%20903583&PN=0

Thanks.  I believe I got a "guitar"-book of the BBs, but I am more interested in the playing style as in the songs themselves....

I managed to dig up my book...

(http://www.audiodrome.net/BeachBoys3.jpg)

I wonder where this guitar is today? Those original '63/'64 "sharp-horn" 360's are worth BIG BUCKS today!