The Smiley Smile Message Board

I find it odd that Dennis collaborated more with Mike then he did with Brian! I wish that this duo would have worked together more often (when cocaine was not involved). They would've made a killer team!

Who knows why?

I do know that the relationship between siblings is complex in any family. Maybe Dennis was reluctant to ask. When it came to music he was the only one in the band who seemed genuinely in awe of Brian. Maybe he didn't feel he measured up. He was always quite modest and shy of his musical accomplishments, is that not the case?

A shame, because they could have done some great stuff together.

Not really that odd because nearly all of Dennis' collaborators were primarily lyricists. The only one I can think of that wasn't was Daryl Dragon...and i guess Carl. But Kalinich, Jakobson, Love, Burchman, Cushing-Murray, Lamm etc... All of them were giving Dennis his lyrics or helping him with them. He pretty much had the music covered himself. I think he and Brian's composing, arranging and producing skills would create overlap and redundancy making it hard to collaborate. Like Dennis, Brian's favorite collaborators were lyricists. But that said, Like you I do wish more of the things Brian and Dennis worked on together had surfaced as demos or finished songs.

Is there anyone else here who just doesn’t “get” the Dennis fixation? I don’t get it at all. But i would like to. I find 95% of what he wrote to be maudlin, dull, pedestrian, and overwhelmingly cheesy, which i think only worsened over his years writing. By the time of POB and Bambu, i find the music abysmal and intolerable. He’s also my least favorite voice/singer of the group, including Bruce. I get the feeling that there are Dennis apologists whose high praise of him are more so about the man than the music, and they just really, really want to validate him because a) he was Brian’s biggest supporter and defender, b) he was the “underdog,” the one who was sort of shoehorned into the group early on, and consequently received the most criticism in regards to instrumental abilities (subsequently people now like to say that Dennis was a GREAT drummer. Great? Really now?), c) he fit the charming, good looking rebel archetype; women adored him, and men looked up to him.

Thoughts? Bricks thrown at my head? What is the Dennis allure all about?!

Dennis' music is like Marmite - you either like it, or you don't.

We closed our wedding last week with "Cuddle Up". I suppose if you don't get it you might never will. But the first time I heard POB.... :love

So you figure the popularity of his music, the fact that his solo LP sold well, the fact that it reviewed great in the rock press (pretty much did better than any BB's solo effort and many many BB's LP's), and the fact the cult of those who love Dennis' music has grown exponentially since the 2008 reissue of POB which was  a giant success - has nothing to do with the fact that his music is good...its just because people are so completely enamored with his "rebel archetype" that they are ashamed to admit they don't like his music. Oh, and all of the drummers and musicians and fans, who love his drumming, also say that not because they REALLY like it...but because he was "good looking". Of all the Beach Boys related things that could be labeled "cheesy" I'd say Dennis is safely near the bottom of that list. But maybe I'm just saying that because I'm mesmerized by his hair or something.

There are a lot of artists that sell well and are liked by critics but in my opinion are not very good.  I love Dennis mostly because of the emotion that I hear in his delivery.

Yes. Well, wait, no. Not entirely. You left stuff out and focussed solely on his looks––funny that. But as i said, i wish i understood because it really baffles me. And, personally, on a list that includes “The Beach Boys” and “cheesy,” Dennis would surely be at the top. He came to embody cheesiness––the wounded, womanizing, alcoholic tough guy with a soft, brooding, sensitive side that came out through mawkish, and, frankly, formulaic ballads, the type of songs that are just trying so hard to pull at the heart strings. Even his singing style is that somewhat forced, overly emotive, breathy crooner thing. [Please note that i love Bruce’s Sunflower and Surf’s Up contributions. Also note that Mike Love is corny, not cheesy.] Anyway, Denny was ahead of his time, though, because his style would soon blow up and dominate the rest of the 70s and 80s mainstream. I see him, musically, as the least typical of the Beach Boys. It seems that from pretty early on he was going in a sort of MoR direction (though not as obvious as where Bruce would eventually go), which is confusing and a bit strange considering how much he endorsed Brian musically. My ears tell me that Brian and Dennis were musical opposites. I see not a shred of similarity between the two musically.

Maybe that's the problem. You can't see with your ears. But...if you listen to the way they recorded instruments, and painstakingly melded them in their productions, no one is more similar to Brian than Dennis. However, yes, Dennis is very much not typical Beach Boys in his sound, although he evokes the bliss of Brian, but in a darker format. Anyway, you have your opinion, and it is one.

The one Beach Boy I am mesmerized by their looks was Mike Love. To me, he always had the coolest look. I am a straight man, so I don't get the appeal of Dennis myself. But musically, I would say that Dennis' music continued logically passed Holland with Pacific Ocean Blue. But the rest of the band took a different direction. Love You was also good and went forward in the vein of Funky Pretty. PoB in the vein of Sail on Sailor.

Music is obviously a very personal experience, and since Dennis's music was more emotive than cerebral, I think you either "feel" it or you don't. There are people who think listening to Mariah Carey is an incredibly emotional experience. Not me. I get very little out of her music. When I hear Dennis's music, I hear pain, heartache, and beauty. And even though I most definitely think he was good looking, it has nothing to do with what he looked like. I'm certain that if I heard Dennis's music (especially the POB/Bamboo stuff) without knowing what he looked like, I'd probably think he was pretty worn and ugly looking, based on his voice. But that doesn't matter. I think there's validity in your point about people getting caught up in the romantic aspect of his pretty tragic life (and possibly romanticizing his personality, which is easy to do when someone dies young), but again, I believe that even if I knew nothing about his life, I'd be touched by his music. It's not for everyone, though. And I know plenty of people who don't get the BRIAN love, either.

I find listening to Mariah Carey an incredibly emotional experience but not in a good way.

P.S. 3 years on and I still can't get into Bambu...

I think that Dennis and Brian were quite alike in certain ways, musically speaking. I listen to Dennis's more "ambitious" works like "Love Remember Me", "Tug of Love", "Are You Real?", and "Album Tag Song" were kind of like Dennis's 1970's version of SMiLE. Dennis was creating music that seemed quite complex, and had multiple layers in the instrumentation. I can listen to the same songs over and over again, and get something new from it every time.

Cheesy:

"Cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic."

"Of poor quality; shoddy."

You, sir, are a fool, and possibly a troll. Your opinion, which I respect your right to express, is, in this instance, questionable in the extreme.

How anybody could dub Dennis "cheesy" is way beyond me . His songs are emotional masterpieces !

All I can say is that in 1977, when POB came out, I was duly (then and forever more) impressed with the originality, emotion, and scope of the piece, and this was before I knew anything of Dennis' underdog status or his singular support of Brian's music.  From then on, I always considered Dennis to be a "special" talent and a "special" individual...I think the fact that you could "know" him through his music, in a similar way to how you could "know" Brian, John Lennon, and some select others, is what did it.  When I saw the Boys' appearance on the Midnight Special in 1979, I really dug Dennis' drumming, particularly the way he "felt" the song, and hit all the right (if sometimes unconvential) grooves..."in the pocket" as some say, and similar to Ringo's "untechnical" but nonetheless great approach.  When I played the video of their 1980 July 4th performance for a drummer friend some years later (who knew not much of The Beach Boys other than their radio hits), his comment was "Yeah, he was a great drummer".  

Your opinion of Dennis' music is as valid as anyone else's, but your idea of why so many people love & respect Dennis & his music is obviously incorrect.  And I think "cheesy" is probably not the best choice of words for what you're trying to get across.  Some of Bruce Springsteen's more grandiose music tends to leave me flat (but I know many people are REALLY moved by it), and perhaps that's what you're trying to say in regards to Dennis' music.  But "cheesy" it ain't.

I knew that post was going to lead to this same old thing. It seems people always want others to respect their own preferences without question, and yet rarely fail to question the motives, intelligence, or taste of others before hitting "Post." Listen, as many of you know, I am not much of a fan of Dennis's music, either. I've probably used the word "cheesy" to describe it, but thanks to AGD pulling out the ol' dictionary, I won't again. (I do find a lot of it a bit over the top, sickly sweet in its sentimentality, grandiose in a not-good way.) But the key to the parenthetical is less the adjectives than the subject and verb. I find it to be. Really ... who fucking cares? I'm sure there are people who like Dennis's music for his looks. That's fine, sex is a huge part of pop and always has been. Others probably like it for his role in the back-story. Equally fine. Whatever entertains, entertains. But of course the suggestion that these are the reasons, as opposed to a few possibilities for some people, is silly. Why question the motivation just because the result isn't the same as one's own? Im sure most people who like Dennis's music like it because the sound of those instruments and voices together pleases them. It's not complicated stuff. I don't like Brian's music because he was fat, or Al's because he's an elf, and if a non-Brian fan suggested it, I guess I'd be offended. monicker doesn't have to like Dennis. Others can. Different music for different people at different times for different purposes.

He's a fool because he doesn't like Dennis' music? If that's what he believes, who the phuck are you to tell him that he's a troll and a fool? Everybody has an opinion. That was his, and if you don't like, tough Sh!t.

His opinion is his, and that's fine, but...There is certainly a foolish element to his rationale. The bit about Dennis being musically "opposite" of Brian proves this opinion is not even close to being well thought out. Any true Brian aficionado is aware of the intrinsic similarities to Brian's fingerprint in "Steamboat", "Moonshine", "Time", "End Of The Show", "Tug Of Love", "Love Remember Me", "Coc ktails", "Common", "Album Tag Song" and so many more. No other artist has come closer to finding the textural and emotional territory of Brian's most ambitious material like "Child Is Father To The Man", "Windchimes",  "Don't Talk", "Cabinessence", than Dennis. From my point of view the incredible and beautiful similarity is a gift. Thanks Audree for having another one.

Amen.

Funny how defensive people can get...

No. He's a fool for not knowing the definition of cheesy or being ably to apply it correctly... no problem with his not liking it (plenty of music that's supposed to be great does nothign for me - e.g. The Smiths and Big Star), but the reasons stated were, frankly, ludicrous. The entire tone of the post was high-class trolling.

And thanks for the gracious way you expressed your thoughts on the subject. Much appreciated.


Not half a funny as a mod who's anything but impartial.  ::)

I love Dennis' music on the whole (although I am not sure I would have got into it without having been heavily into the Beach Boys and Brian first).  However I can kind of understand where people are coming from when they say this kind of thing


when I listen to something like Make It Good...also, for me Cuddle Up is so great in parts (the middle piano string section up to and including the block harmony at the start of the last verse) but slightly let down by a slightly OTT chorus.  That's just for me.  But that's like two songs that I can think of.


What about Carli Munoz?

I think that was more a case of Dennis arranging and singing Carli's songs as opposed to them writing together.

Cuddle Up is great but that "Honey, Honey, I'm in LUUUUURRRVE!" bit does make my toes curl.

Mexico & Common are great instramentals if it's his voice you don't like.

But not liking Dennis Wilson is wrong. All you naysayers are WRONG.  :)

Really, I think you're the last person to try and call someone out for the 'gracious way you expressed your thoughts'. I've seen hundreds of your posts-just because you tell someone to phuck off in a nice way doesn't change what you're trying to say-and I've seen you tell people to f*ck  off for years. Just because I come out and say it, and you say it in a more 'dignified' matter doesn't change what the bottom line is.

It isn't that he's defensive, it's just that his posts-a lot of the time-smack of, 'You're an idiot, and I know way more than you'. Which is fine, whatever makes him happy, I just think it's sad that you have to come to a message board to make yourself feel important.

You keep on thinkin' Butch, that's what you're good at.  ;D

Hey, I call it like I see it, son  :love

A relief to see i'm not the only one who sees what this sad, distasteful, smug curmudgeon is all about. I wonder what he would be without Beach Boys minutiae and a messageboard. Respectfully, of course. Oh, and a lil emoticon right here --------> [here]

Can't we all just get along and enjoy the main reason we are on the board, The Beach Boys and their wonderful music! :)

What in the cunting christ are you lot arguing about?

He's allowed not to like DW for whatever banal reasons he has. I see no-one tearing into Luther, who's been of the same opinion for years.

Monicker, what would you be without your overriding passion in life? That's a stupid question.

A damn sight happier, I'm thinking, but it's a burden I bear manfully.  Probably have more time to work on my cricket research, but currently Billy Beldham's not doing anything new, so it'll keep.

We tried, four years ago. I recall it distinctly. Didn't work.

If I find anything lacking in Dennis' body of work, it would be that he would too often resort to a fairly simplistic "I love you" lyrical approach. Having said that, I would also add that I can't think of another performer who sounded more sincere in saying "I love you" than Dennis. His "I love you" was like an exultation to God!

I know it comes down to personal taste, but back in '77 LOVE YOU and POB came out weeks of each other and there is no question that POB sounded like the album that the Beach Boys should have been making that year. Brian funking it up on his synths has a certain charm, but it could not compare to the extraordinary musical and vocal arrangements Dennis came up with.

Beach Boys doing POB in 1977 would of been a wonderful album, but i'm glad Dennis got recognition for POB as a solo album. Love You and POB were both the Wilson brothers' solo albums in a way.

1977 was a helluva year to be a BB fan.

I do think that Dennis's image plays a huge role in what people think of both his drumming and the music that he wrote.

Image is massively important in music and anybody listening to Dennis's drumming will obviously have a picture of him in their mind. Knowing that it's a good looking rebel playing the drums makes a huge difference to the listener. If it were someone like Al then I don't think anybody would ever comment on his ability with that instrument.

As for Dennis's songwriting...I like quite a few of Dennis's songs but I also think he is very over-rated. Bambu is just poor (unfair to judge perhaps because it was never finished) and there aren't too many stand-out songs that he has on the BB albums. Pacific Ocean Blue is a good album but certainly not the masterpiece that some make out. Again image plays a huge part and if an unknown musician were to release that album then I don't think it would get much attention at all.

As others have said, Brian and Dennis were both writers of music rather than lyrics so it's no surprise that they didn't write much together. It's more of a shame I think that Carl and Mike didn't write together and that Dennis and Mike only co-wrote a few songs together...

Considering the number of fans who seemingly stopped being fans in that year, I think there's plenty who would disagree.

Odd - a few crappy albums doesn't invalidate what went before.

Good point, Erik, so I'll make it again. Dennis' music was free of the irony that's all over pop/rock today. I was just listening to Ben Folds, and there it is. I think it's hard for some people to listen to such sincerity and take it seriously without dismissing it as cheesy. But then, Brian's music is also free from irony. Maybe since he didn't have as many love ballads as Dennis, Brian's music can be forgiven more readily.

I also think there are a few things you're never supposed to utter in Beach Boys fandom, and maybe that should be a thread of its own. One would be that Dennis' music was cheesy. Another would be that Carl was anything less than an angel. The latter is subject to speculation only (unless you knew him), but the former is subject to opinion. I think moniker's opinion is valid, even if I don't agree with it.
 

I agree totally!

It's funny because Moniker is right in that, for some, the 70's bearded, womanizing, drunken, drugging, sensitive, macho, chest beating Dennis image (if one doesn't examine too closely) IS something of a cheesy stereotype, and can certainly  be something of a turn-off. I mean, if one isn't impressed by Dennis' looks or charm, it will be that much harder to appreciate the man.

But of course, for most of us who know and love his music, that stereotype image doesn't really matter or even register, so it's a difficult subject to approach when someone innocently brings it up.

Er, and the same goes for Mike too  ::)

But for just the general, average fan...

Early 60s - The band constantly improving in terms of musicianship, songwriting, production and live performances. Also, gaining in popularity all of the time with anything seemingly possible. Those were surely the years to be fans of the group.

Contrast with 1977 - The realization that Brian was far from back and was clearly still seriously mentally ill, the live shows not hitting the heights that they had a few years previously, obvious issues within the band, a patchy album that didn't sell at all and hinted again that all was far from well behind the scenes, Dennis' and Brian's voices having clearly gone etc. I'm not sure that one solo album cancelled all of that out for many fans.

If this was the case, there wouldn't be a thread to be replying to right now. :3d

While I do believe it's the uniqueness, rough edges, and emotional intensity/sincerity that draws a lot of non-Beach Boys fans to Dennis' music,

I also feel that Dennis gets a lot of respect because he is, quite simply, generally regarded as the 2nd best songwriter in the group.  It was Dennis who lead the band's songwriting during the "wilderness" era ('68-'72), and his songs along with Carl's voice kept Brian Wilson's sound alive and took it into the new era.

I don't really see how anyone who is a fan of FRIENDS, 20/20, SUNFLOWER and HOLLAND not at least partially agreeing. 

in addition, Dennis was indeed ahead of his time musically ... which is another interesting aspect to the story -- people didn't quite value his contributions at the time of the original release; it took awhile to let it kind of sink in.

Luke said it best - "...uhh what we got here is failure t'communicate." Truth be told, crotchety, opinionated Androu Gee Dough is gettin' a tad old and crusty not to mention a bit o' girth to boot. But everyone here shouldn't be a bit surprised as to what he's gonna say and how he says it-N'est pas? ;)

never change, man  :lol

Don't plan to-how 'bout you? We are what we are. :spin

I think it is because of my good looks. But I could be wrong.

I’m 32. But i’m really averse to my generation’s culture and tastes, and i particularly cannot stand the culture of irony. I also have little tolerance for musical pastiche. All these modern and contemporary bands who wear their BB influence on their sleeve...i run in the other direction and fast. The Beach Boys, by the way, are an anomaly in my music collection. It was neither being of age, nor via pop music of their time that lead me to them. I don’t care much for their contemporaries (with the notable and very big exception of girl groups). And, no, i don't like rock. If we’re going to theorize that it simply comes down to age and era, well, i mostly listen to stuff that is not only older than me, but older than anyone on this board, stuff that goes back hundreds of years, so it’s certainly not my age. One of the numerous reasons that i am obsessed with the boys is that their music sounds like nothing else that people tend to associate them with. They are truly exceptional. And i fell into the Beach Boys rabbit hole by way of the “weird,” atypical stuff, which inevitably lead me simultaneously backward and forward in their chronology.

My reaction to Dennis’ music--which, as i said before, i believe he’s the least typical Beach Boy--is not about being unfamiliar with its ethos. I just think it’s over-affected to the point that it’s saccharine and hard to swallow. I agree with Roger Ryan’s assessment regarding the oversimplified “I love you” approach--that was very well put. Dennis' whole approach to songwriting, to me, always sounded contrived, almost like he was overcompensating for something. It’s like how to write love ballads 101 by the books. It just doesn’t sound entirely sincere to me. I understand, of course, that Dennis very well could have been true to himself, but it’s hard for me to get beyond what to me sounds a bit inauthentic (hmmm...one of the words that define cheesy...how foolish and questionable of me...no need to reference that old fart though). And that’s not even mentioning that, on a strictly musical level, i find his compositions, arrangements, and production to be quite pedestrian. If i had to put it in the simplest terms possible, his music just sounds ugly to me. 

Vocally speaking, i get a lot of the same feeling from Carl. I love his singing up through Pet Sounds, with GOK being, i think, his last truly great lead vocal. Suddenly, though, during Smile (Wind Chimes) the beginnings of his over emotive singing style emerge, which carry on into Smiley. Then, oddly, he employs a radically different style for Wild Honey (which i love). He then goes even further into the sickly sweet style that would end up being his signature sound until the end. (As a side note, i think that both Dennis and Carl sounded like gold in the harmonic blend, so i am only speaking lead vocal here.) I remember reading something a while ago--if anyone knows it, please chime in and maybe point to the article--of either Brian talking about the GOK vocal session or someone else discussing it, and supposedly Brian kept telling Carl to just sing it “straight.” I love that. That’s how i’ve always told other singers to deliver their vocal when i get people to sing on my music, and that’s what i enjoy listening to, that's what resonates with me. You don’t have to go over the top to attain emotional depth. Do it straight and the emotion, if it’s there in the first place, will surely translate. Emotional music is emotional music is emotional music is emotional music, and if it’s going to work on an emotional level, that quality is embedded in the music already, so no need to exaggerate it and over emote vocally to try to resonate emotionally with the listener. I think doing so cheapens the whole thing. Compare all of Brian’s lead vocals to Carl and Dennis’, and, relatively speaking, they’re all done in a much more “straight” manner, and guess what, i am affected a hundred times more emotionally by those songs than anything Dennis and Carl related. Hell, Mike’s subtle delivery (in fact, as i write this, i am now realizing that that’s what it is--there is nothing subtle about Dennis’ music) on a song like All I Wanna Do, to me, is infinitely more emotionally impacting than anything that Dennis and Carl sang/wrote, because one isn’t being force fed blatant emotionality. Of course, though, look at the composition/arrangement/production of a song like All I Wanna Do and that settles that. We are all here, after all, because all things Beach Boys originate from this guy named Brian. And that’s not being a so-called “Brianista.”

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I'm just talking, not trying to condemn anyone or censure their opinion.

I'm going to be 33 on 13 Aug, for what it's worth, and I *also* hate much of today's music (since at least 2006, and for the most part earlier). Although I disagree with you about Dennis big-time*, I happen to share your opinion on Carl. Generally, I don't like his late 70s vocals- once on this very board I referred to him sounding like Peter Cetera on 'ludes.

*That said, you got it on Dennis...there was nothing subtle about him. If that's what turned you off, I can see that (don't agree, but do understand).


edit

Before anybody asks, Units was NOT banned; rather he asked me to delete his account.

Yep. Its all because of your charming, good looking rebel archetype.

Monicker, you put you opinions across so clearly, intelligently, and well articulated, that I won't even address the few points I disagree with. And as the number one Mike fan around here, it's nice to see someone discussing the guy in an artistic sense rather than the same tired old insults. You are a good man!

Oh, Jon, you know me too well!

That's a shame. I wonder how come I never these messages.

I think he just pm'd me...don't know if he pm'd you, Jason, or SH.

First casualty of the SMiLE 2011 era

"Monicker" basically hijacked a thread which promised to be very interesting. What does this person's opinion of Dennis Wilson's music have to do with why Dennis and Brian didn't collaborate more often?  He should have started a thread entitled "Why I hate Dennis Wilson's music".  Then he and several other turds could have had a nice conversation without bothering those of us whose interests were peaked by the title of the thread he ruined.   

Fair point. I was considering only the likes of the posters here - I forget that there are others who are... not as we are.  :o

I can relate to that. But again, it's a highly personal matter. I guess the majority of people posting here really love Denny's penchant for working towards climaxes in his songs, decibel- and otherwise. It's even to be found in Never Learn. I think its perfectly tenable to ascribe it to him being so sexually charged; a matter of building up tension and then experiencing enormous release. Brian was different, much different in this respect, re: songwriting.

I like about half of POB a lot. So on one hand, for me it's not the ex-Missing-Masterpiece-In-The-World-Of-Music. On the other hand I will readily admit that Dennis had real, raw talent. 'Moonshine' is one of my all-time pop favourites; there's very little that compares with it. And another of Denny's outstanding capacities was that for honesty (see: 'Farewell My Friend'). He may not have been the most straight-living guy in the world, nor the most faithful one. But he did not deceive himself in these respects; he wrote about it instead.

One educated and perceptive man's brilliance is another equally educated and perceptive man's cheese. Or woman's.

Woman's cheese? Moderator?

I think what Cam meant was one man/woman's brilliance is another's cheese.

Complaining about anything being cheesy in the Beach Boys universe is like going to the store, buying a gigantic block of cheese and then, in the process of devouring it at home, complaining about "How cheesy this gigantic block of cheese is" .....

Or, as Dennis was fond of saying, "One man's genius is another man's penis"....


I fortunately was away from the boards for a couple of days, and missed the start of this thread.  Interesting to me; not 'getting' Dennis' music is one thing, but I found the negative comments fascinating, to say the least.
You see, some of the greatest memories that I'll always cherish were the many & varied times through the years where I got to be a 'fly on the wall' while these two collaborated....  These memories range from Dennis laying down vocal tracks for Brian at Belagio, (and being able to observe Dennis knowing he was studying at the feet of a master), to sessions for each other's songs at Brother, and to the 'hamburger sessions' & various impromptu piano sessions either on the road or at any of the three of our houses.  To this day, I can't hear Dennis' piano without hearing shades of Brian....  and, as Mr. Stebbins so adroitly points out, "But...if you listen to the way they recorded instruments, and painstakingly melded them in their productions, no one is more similar to Brian than Dennis."  Amen, Jon!

Not knowing the background of the song but I hear a lot of Brian influence in "Little Bird"  I suspect he helped arrange and produce it.

He did, part of it, and was uncredited.

Did he do the na na na's?  :p  ;D

I'd love to hear Ed's stories of being around for the "hamburger sessions".  :)

The "What a day, what a day, oooh what a beautiful day this is" part, and the end recycled CIFOTM's melody.

Thanks Ed. If anyone knows about the creative synergy between Brian and Dennis its you, who witnessed so much of it first hand. It must have been a constant mind blow to see and hear those things.

I've seen several posts from people mentioning this, but I don't really hear it.

Listen past the vocals...the bass & horn lines play the melody (during the "little bird up in a tree" part).

Yeah, that's where I hear the Brian input too.

Kalinich claims Brian arranged the bridge...nothing more.