The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi everyone,

Can you believe it, it's almost been a year since Legacy re-released Pacific Ocean Blue & Bambu.

After Dennis finished his tracks for the BB's "LA" in 1979, did he give up studio sessions?  I know Brother Studios was sold.  I've read about the "Cocaine Sessions" he did with Brian in 1981; is there any promise or spark to any of these recordings?  I've also read that he recorded with Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, perhaps in late 1979.  I wonder if Dennis's creative juices had been diminished by his vices at that time.

Here's a thought:  did Dennis have the equipment available to work on home recordings during his final years, maybe with just vocal/piano?

I'd also like to get some insight into the possibility of more Dennis circa 1976--1983 ever finding an official release, or has it virtually been all released on the POB/Bambu Legacy Reissue?

 I haven't been a fan for very many years, so there's a lot I can learn.  Any discussion about those last 4 or 5 years of Dennis's life would be greatly appreciated.

Excuse me!!!??? :o

To Ed or someone else who knows,

Who is Garby Leon?  A friend of Dennis's?

Would that be Mad Dog? I recorded there a couple of times. As I recall it was a studio in back of a house. They had cheap rates and the environtment was loose.

Not Mad Dog.

The Cocaine/Hamburger sessions stuff is from Garby's where Dennis and Brian jammed and wrote together in '81. He had a grand piano and a hammond organ in his Venice home and as ed said a 1/4 inch recorder. This trio subsequently went into Village Recorders and recorded the demo for the song Stevie with Garby co-producing...Before anything more came of it Brian and Dennis were financially cut off and forcibly separated because of the substances involved in these collaborations...i think its all in my DW book somewhere. Garby still has all the tapes and the stories. He is a pretty private guy though.

For the record, I can be had the same way. Granted, there's nothing I know that makes me worth tracking down or interviewing ... but hopefully you'll be out a few drinks before you figure that out.

Ed,

Thanks for your recollections.  You sound like a cool guy who I'd enjoy sitting down & talking with one of these days.

To Jon Stebbins:  I'm waiting for your book on Dennis to be reissued this year with updates (then I'll finally get it), so forgive me for asking questions that everyone probably already knows.

Thanks for all the discussion so far.

The stuff Brian was cutting with Dennis in 1980-82 was surprisingly good considering the shape they were in. It's hard to ascertain exactly what Dennis did at these sessions because as you may know he really couldn't sing any more by early 81. .I assume drums and Keyboard, and perhaps co-writing a few things. The demos of "Stevie" "Night Blooming Jasmine", "Oh Lord", and "City Blues" are all very entertaining. Brian put a lot more into his vocals then  (with a handful of exceptions) he really has since. I am sure music never completely left Dennis mind but I would argue that most (if not all) of his major work was done from 68-72 and then again from 75-78.

I didn't think Brian's voice in 1981 was that bad, including the infamous July Long Beach TV concert.

Perhaps, but I really enjoy every post you write Ed.

The next thing I know I'm on mushrooms in Venice and your dog is tie dyed Dr. Seuss, while the Rastafarian palm trees are laughing at me. And that was just a Tuesday.

I don't care for his live vocals myself, but in the studio he really was going for it.

I for one would put in the comercial suicide recommendation of a 2 cd release. Adult/Child sessions on the first disc, Cocaine/Hamburger sessions on the other!

I've always found the '75-'82ish era to be my personal favorite as far as BW songwriting and presentation goes.
The interesting chord changes, often strange sounding instrumentation, very unusual subject matter, and wheezing and barking vocals really fascinate me for some reason. The shear number of really good unreleased songs from this era is surprising. So, I one-up you MTR , and call for a four CD boxset from the Caribou sessions straight through to cocaine session stuff.

Apparently, if I remember correctly, the released version of All Alone is from '79. There was a misconception that the so-called "electric piano version" was the '79 cut, but was actually from '78.

So, there definitely is more of the so called "cocaine sessions"? On the version I have, there are many cuts, and split second excerpts of songs. Right after "I Feel So Fine", there is a very short excerpt of Brian singing in what I would call an "Elvis voice".

I've heard at least two separate people who should know tell me there's Dennis stuff up through '82.  Supposedly he's even in decent voice for some of them.  I found this stunning news to say the least, but as I said, a couple of different sources said the same thing.

We've talked about Dennis solo during his last few years.  Does anyone know the last time (approx. date would be great) Dennis was in the studio for a Beach Boys' session?  Wasn't he on one song or so on "Keepin' The Summer Alive" from 1980? 

Lastly, was this Dennis's decision to quit appearing in the studio with them?

Dennis was on one or two KTSA tracks as a percussionist, but he was essentially out of the band during the KTSA period...not by his choice necessarily. After that... there wasn't any BB's studio product for him to be on before he died. Next LP was BB's '85.

Dennis drummed on the 10/15/79 Western session for "Johnny B. Goode" and contributed percussion to "Endless Harmony" at Jardine's Barn on 11/11/79. That's all.

Thanks, Andrew. ;D

Anyone ever heard "Johnny b goode"? How does it sound? Wasn't their version of "Back in the USSR" also recorded around this time (or didn't it have anything to do with KTSA)?

"Back In The USSR" is an Endless Summer Beach Band recording - Mike's side project.

Including the September 3, 1982 session for "Labor Day", then. Boy, would I love to hear this (not a pm request, I know it isn't around :)).

Labor Day? Is that a sequel to Fourth of July?

I know it was written the day Gage Wilson was born.

Hey, then I can still dream! Imagine the tape showing up, containing a three minute piano driven ballad with rudimentary instrumentation (vibes, drums, moog bass and guitar) and Dennis singing a short-ranged melody, maybe just spanning a couple of notes (if even that much was possible). Last chapter in the musical saga of Dennis Wilson. As I said, I can dream, can't I?

Sure...except the song of your dreams would be a more elaborate production than what's apparently on tape, as the bill for the session (which Ed has) indicates only piano, bass & vocal were recorded...and the bass was wiped and replaced by the vocal.

I just participated in a lengthy interview with Tom Murphy, who as much as anyone was with Dennis trying to record him in the spiraling days. He is pretty emphatic that Dennis had lost the ability to concentrate enough to be productive in the studio by '79. He described it as a really sad thing. But there was no ability to focus on the work at hand for more than a few fleeting moments at a time according to Tom. In the POB period Dennis was known for pulling off marathon sessions, never losing his focus, and basically out lasting and out working everyone around him. But by '79 this ability was gone according to Tom, and getting any real work done was impossible with Dennis. He had written so much through the '70's that he was still a virtual jukebox of snippets and motifs and could sit down at a piano and play tons of things that were partial or being "developed", but there was no ability to finish anything. Tom described DW as like an Olympic cyclist who used to win races a few years earlier, Dennis could still ride the bike, but he could never make it anywhere near the finish line in his last few years. If there's anything from the post '79 days its going to be bits, pieces, fragments...and probably really loosely performed.

Jon that's the vibe I've had about Dennis 1979 and on. Talking to various people I didn't think he had much really finished in those years. Thanks for helping confirm that.

Thanks for the insight, Jon. Thanks to Mr. Roach too. Man, the more that I read into Dennis, the sadder the story gets. I don't know if I'm more sad or angry. It's so fustrating to hear and read about such a great talent slipping away. I just want to go back in time and grab Dennis and slap him and say WAKE UP!!!!! It's always the best talents that never realise what they are capable of doing. I listen to the POB/Bambu set, and his talent is GLARINGLY obvious.

In preparation for a new cd release maybe?             ;-)

New Dennis documentary for BBC TV...see thread from a few weeks ago.

Ok, I have a question that is kind of Dennis related.  On the 1981(or 82?) Cocaine Sessions bootlegs, it's always listed as "Brian and Dennis". But Brian sings every song(at least what's bootlegged), and there is just one other voice on the tape besides Brian's, and it doesn't sound like Dennis. Are we really sure if he's on the tape that exists?

Dennis was tape op. And keyboards.

You probably don't have much to go by, but was his singing voice completely gone by 81-82?....I know it was by 83.

His voice was gone after the beating he got on superbowl Sunday 1981.

Who did the beating on Dennis on Superbowl Sunday 1981????

Wasn't it one of the Love's?

Stan and Rocky

I bought the LP that serves as my avatar at Amoeba Records in Hollywood maybe five years ago, and it's in a clear plastic sleeve to which someone has drawn in a cartoon balloon pointing at Rocky's head that says, "I beat the sh*t out of Dennis Wilson."

This was pre-Shaun Love, so why the beating???? Because he was giving Brian drugs?????

I remember I was onstage around '94 at the Wondermints Christmas party as one of the guest performances and I was shooting my mouth off like the cocky young buck I was about Mike Love's lawsuit.  After I got offstage, this guy comes and gets in my face about it, defending Mike and giving me a hard time.  I realized to my horror that it was Rocky Pamplin, another one of those "only in L.A., watch your mouth" kind of moments.  After he mellowed out we had a decent chat, but it sure was jarring.

Obviously the big question is, did Rocky still have that sweet-ass mustache that made him look like an only slightly more butch Freddie Mercury?

I'm confused (what else is new?), I didn't know that Dennis and Shawn were together so early in '81. Thought he was still involved with C. McVie at that time.

Anyway, Karma is a bitch at times. What goes around, comes around....ask a couple of my ex's.!!One had a triple bypass at 42 and the other one is dead. Am waiting for the other shoe to drop on my ex-husband!!! I never wished any of them ill-will, but things happen in ways we'll never understand.

What album is it?

THE ROCK by Rocky Pamplin (ADC LS-4055, 1979), an album of predominantly tenth-rate watered down, ultra-tepid disco sung by Rocky in a fey, somwhat pitchy voice with a prominent lisp, with the final track being a sappy ballad.  My copy is autographed on the back by Gary Griffin, who is one of two people credited with the sub-Philadelphia string arrangements.  It also contains a cover of the Mike Love/Ron Altbach "classic" "Disco Symphony" on Side 2; the original had just appeared on Celebration's barely released third album DISCO CELEBRATION, also on ADC Records (LS-4052).

This has to be one of the saddest things ever laid down on tape :'(  esp "Oh Lord"

I've heard this before...but I forget why and what happened...so, why did Stan and Rocky beat up Dennis?

In Carlin's book, it says that while they were in charge of Brian, they were drinking and got pissed off at Dennis giving Brian drugs and enabling him, so they went round his house, pretended to be cops so all of Dennys guests left, then beat him up. Pretty badly too - they broke his ribs....

It's disgusting really. The fact that no-one seemed to mind is also somewhat worrying

They were some band, eh?

That is sad.  And wasn't this wad, Rocky, doing Brian's wife? 

So what's Stan's story?  Some cousin he was.  What's he doing now?

If Brian had OD'ed in 1981 we'd be complaining that Dennis was giving him drugs and enabling him and no one seemed to mind. Rough days.

Brian was overdosing plenty of times before 1981. There's the famous story, or at least it's assumed this stature, that Brian once had access to about $10,000 of cocaine and snorted a good portion of it and went into serious convulsions as a result.

I do remember from I think Gaines' "Heroes and Villains," that Dennis sued them for assault and won a paltry $300. He screamed out in court "Oh no, I got beat up for $300!" If I'm wrong with any of this, please let the experts correct me.

You nailed it.

[bows right, bows left]

And I thought MY family was screwed up!

Ok, smart ass. Had he overdosed and died in 1981.  ::)

Damn, I need to get my hands on a copy of the Gaines book!!

I think its silly to demonize Dennis as if the drugs only flowed on one direction. Believe me they flowed both ways.

Shouldn't be tough to do: it's around. I see copies of it in used bookstores all the time, and I'd assume you can still get it on amazon, etc.

Gaines posted here for a (very) little while.

Hey, had Brian overdosed in the early eighties, except if anyone had forcefed drugs up his nose, the one to blame would be Brian. I was talking about how it was a complicated situation.

I don't see Brian or Dennis being worse then one another when it came to sharing drugs. I think its a dysfunctional situation, particularly knowing how concerned Dennis was about Brian's drug intake at one point. I guess what someone like Stan or Rocky didn't understand was that Dennis had become as ill as Brian.

Yes and no. Given the amounts that Brian was allegedly doing, he had lost every last inch of self-insight and capacity to say 'no'. He would not know how many lines he'd done any previous day, or on the day itself, for that matter. And if offered anything, he'd be unable to refuse, clear and simple. IMHO, Brian Wilson was drugs at that time.

Not exactly. I recently listened to the July 4th 1981 show in Washington, and Dennis does a fair bit of talking during Help Me Rhonda. It's a little distracting at times. He was trying to "pump up" the audience to sing and clap along. Anyway, he's in surprisingly good voice. I listened to it on good quality headphones. There is no sign of hoarseness, or "breaking up" in his voice. Compared to that cheerleading competition film, it sounds like two completely different people. I was quite shocked.

On the fifth though he is totally hoarse, I would have to hear the clip but that's really odd.

Very entertaining read.  I keep my copy in the john.  I read a page or two while doing my business.  I don't know how true that stuff is...but man, is it hard to put down!!!!!!

The financial stuff concerning contracts and management, especially in the 70s, is very accurate... as it should be, given the source of the information.  ;D

Since there were several songs on Youngblood that Carl had no hand in writing, it's too bad he didn't choose to do a Dennis tune. Even though Dennis was pretty far gone then, you wonder if Carl could have said he wanted to do, say, Love Remember Me, and ask Dennis to work on it with him. It might have been a nice lift for Dennis.

... and Youngblood.

Wouldn't have fitted the awful AOR sound that Carl seemed to be interested in pursuing at that time.

I can't remember if I asked this:  but there should be -- or perhaps I should create one myself, or has anybody else done this? -- a Dennis Wilson box set.  Gathering his solo and Beach Boy tracks together?

Is there a list of all the Denny tracks on the interweb that could get a man started with such an endeavor?


Of course I'd love a professionally done box-set, with a great book and wonderfully remastered sound, like POB...but...I think it would be an EXCELLENT study and means of appreciating his music.

For me...the Denny tracks are often distracting from the Beach Boys albums (I'm thinking Carl and the Passions, mainly) so I wasn't able to appreciate them then.  A professional set would allow that perspective -- and appreciation -- of just how gifted an artist he was.

He was truly a wholly unique and new direction for the band, that to fully "get" would have required a unified move in that direction for the band...which they couldn't really do -- especially by the mid 70s.  So stuffing these diamonds into the  less-than-forward-thinking Beach Boy albums at the time, wasn't a very fitting home for them.

A Dennis Wilson box set needs to happen!  Gathering all the songs together seems long overdue. 

I did this as a 2-CD set back in 2000 at the request of my friend/fellow BB/BW fan Gary Pig Gold.  It included all the BB stuff that was released at the time - both what he wrote and what he sang leads on -  POB in its entirety, the best-sounding, most complete "Bambu" tracks out there at the time, and a few other footwear items.  I probably didn't make more than 6 or 7 for myself, Gary, and some other friends, but as you all know once it's out there it tends to proliferate.  A few years later I found some guy from Spain selling copies on ebay (with poor scans of the artwork; he was doing the same to my 6-CD COMPLETE BEACH BOYS U.S. SINGLES set), and then the track listing showed up on the Bootleg Zone website:

Disc 1
http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=soundoffreevol1&section=14 (http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=soundoffreevol1&section=14)

Disc 2
http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=soundoffreevol2&section=176 (http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=soundoffreevol2&section=176)

Here's the unadultered front cover and tray card artwork:

(http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/lostjukebox/SoundOfFreeFront.jpg)

(http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/lostjukebox/SoundOfFreeTC.jpg)