The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.iconfetch.com/great-music-interviews/2011-shows/406-mark-linett-beach-boys-smile-interview.html

No soundcard until later today.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE.

Brilliant interview - thanks - some key points

1. Brian made the changes to TSS as compared to BWPS

2. No indication of three sided album in 67

3. Stuff would not have been included in 67 because of this

4. "Really is three sides not four"

5. Could easily have expanded to another CD or two

6. Around 75 sessions all represented in some way in the box

7. BWPS gave us something to work with

8. BW did finish the project in 2004 and is happy with it

9. TSS 10 times as complex compared to the PS box set

10. Complexity and technical limits of the day (67, 70s, 90s etc) probably helped stop it being finished - digital technology was key to completing this project

11. Originally a three CD set

12. Without five CDs there would have been vital stuff omitted

13. Seven hours of music

14. George Fell into his French horn included

15. Fans can keep doing their own mixes - "you can roll your own"

16. The "album" is BW's version

17. Part Two coming soon - clarifies VT and McCartney - clarifies how SU was put together for TSS

Fantastic interview. Thanks for posting!

Awesome, thanks for sharing this!

Thanks for sharing that interview. I can't wait for part 2.

Fantastic, was hoping for something like this

This is brilliant - fantastic interview that clearly has its roots in the fan community while at the same time, creating a bit of distance from it. It reminds us that this is a release for the music public as well as the hard core fan (see various formats), and all of the pressures associated with that.

Naturally, they move from the idea that the 3-side mix is an 'estimation' of what Smile would have been to the angle that this is a reasonably 'complete' and accessible (just shy of 'definitive') mix of Smile as conceived by the artist. That's to be expected. But the 'roll your own' line is great.

Really looking forward to the next one, particularly the tidbits about SU.

A major tip of the hat to the interviewer, and especially to ML and AB for persevering and getting this project right, steering the format for over two decades.

I'm doing an interview with iconfetch a week from today...and after reading some of Mark's interview I'm really looking forward to it.

The Pet Sounds box was edited on analog tape? ??? :o

Imagine that!

I was under the assumption that digital editing had been around for, what, 15 to 20 years at that point?  And what about all the syncing between vocal and instrumental tracks?  Maybe he meant that it was MASTERED on analog, but he did say edited, as unlikely as that sounds...maybe he meant PS was edited on analog, as opposed to the PS BOX.

Well, the PS box was assembled some 15 years ago ...

Hmm...

Fascinating - seems like a good site.interesting interview - like he says, some of his answers throw up more questions
MORE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

That would be for Disc 1.

I would be interested in finding out from Mark if the newer technology today would make any difference in the outcome of the sonic quality of the discs in the Pet Sounds box. I mean, the re-issue of the mono and stereo and vocals only discs are already superb, but they were done in 1996 and I wonder if the 24 bit technology 15 years later in 2011 would make any difference to what are already great sounding CD's.

I love the last part of interview... "now you can roll your own"...LOL hilarious!    :smokin  :lol

I think he stated once that the library was backed up at 88.2KHz, 24-bit, but since all CD's are locked into 44.1Khz, 16-bit, it wouldn't make a difference. A download or DVD would be the only way technically you could improve upon them (assuming you had the ears + equipment to hear it).

Yeah, I thought that comment was a bit bizarre as well.  Audio quality was obviously a priority in the production on the boxed set, and I have a hard time imagining them unnecessarily creating additional generations of tape in the process.  Also, syncing analog tapes of vocal and instrumental tracks would be a serious pain in the butt...

I'll certainly be rolling my own when the box arrives, but unfortunately in the shed with a CD walkman

haha that sounds just like my shed tbh!

Is anyone else having difficulty listening to this? It only wants to load a few seconds of it....

No problem here...what I did was just click "Play," then paused it, then used the Firefox add-on "Download Helper" to download the whole thing. Dropped it into iTunes and loaded it up on the 'Pod for the commute home. :)

BTW, as for The Pet Sounds Sessions being done on analog tape...I need obviously to re-listen to that interview as I don't remember hearing that at all! I seriously doubt it was done analog, considering how digital editing had already been commonplace for years at the time, and I'm sure Mark would have just gone freakin' b@+$#!+ trying to manually sync up the 4-track instrumentals to the 7-track vocals...

***EDIT***
Wow...okay, so I listened again, and by gum, he DOES say he used razor-blade cut'n'splice editing on The Pet Sounds Sessions....or did I misinterpret it, or was it just that the editing on the final interview was off?  MARK LINETT, IF YOU'RE READING THIS AND CAN CHIME IN -- why did you have to use analog editing at a time when digital editing was already the norm?? Perspiring minds like mine wanna know!

Successfully heard the Linett interview (part 2 Mon.) but can't access the Boyd interview, even after registering and logging in. Is it going directly to iTunes or something? Not a technophile....

Hi there - I'm pretty sure the Alan Boyd interview is not yet up.  It's still listed in the upcoming shows.  Really looking forward to these...

http://www.iconfetch.com/great-music-interviews/upcoming-shows/419-smile-sessions-alan-boyd-interview.html

Part 2 up now

http://www.iconfetch.com/great-music-interviews/2011-shows/418-mark-linett-beach-boys-smile-part-two-interview.html (http://www.iconfetch.com/great-music-interviews/2011-shows/418-mark-linett-beach-boys-smile-part-two-interview.html)

Some interesting things

1. Newly compiled versions of GV and H&V - GV Inspiration vocal part edited in to TSS version - H&V more complicated - very cinematic approach to music making

2. McCartney on VT - no evidence of PMc chopping and chomping

3. Burning of Fire tapes - not destroyed

4. Multitracks missing

5. Brian sense of changing arrangement very quick and musicians could translate very very quickly

6. Brian inspired in creating the arrangements

7. SU - BW vocal from demo version - take exists of BB 71 failed attempt - second half is BW piano version with BB backing vocals - no recorded evidence of Part - no one can confirm

8. Elaborate sessionography included - relies on AFM sheets - slight grain of salt needed but AB tried to verify by listening to tapes

9. Mono version - because of BW doing it that way in 66/67 - some multitracks missing - mono = music presented how the artist wanted people to hear it

10. Rarities on Side 4 of vinyl exclusive to vinyl

11. TSS mastered from hi-res digital

12. Technology made this project possible

13. SU (WH version) on Country Air reel - four or five takes of Brian doing SU - no explanation of why

14. Alan Boyd interview to come


Another great interview

Thanks

CONFIRMED.

SURF'S UP PART 2 (Could Have) HAPPENED

Huh ?  Since when does a complete absence of tape and documentation confirm anything ?

I found this interview a bit annoying because every time the interviewer spoke I had to turn the volume down and whenever Mark L spoke I had to turn the volume up. Couldn't they level out the volume levels?

Great interview otherwise.

Yeah, I had to do exactly the same..

I think it was a bit of subtle irony, bathed in blue pathos.

But back to the interview. I have to say, that one of the highlights of the box for me will be the literature. Especially the technical notes, both historical and contemporary. I can never read enough about how Brian recorded, equipment, techniques etc. I'll also be very interested in what Mark and Alan have to say about the researching and compiling of the set, and how and why certain decisions were taken.

I'm also looking forward to hearing some new anecdotes from the people who were there, and I'm hoping for lots of input from key players like Diane, who has been sorely neglected as a SMiLE source.

re: Vegetables, Paul McCartney... is the Smiley Smile version of Vegetables culled from the same sessions? I could swear I hear Paul McCartney on the Smiley version.

lolwut

Also, was this really just a rumor this whole time? I thought it was indeed true that he was on the Smile version? Him being on the Smiley Smile take makes no sense considering the majority of it was done at his home.

I hope this means that everyone in the world will cease the McCartney Vegetables nonsense. Of course this will never happen. Myths never die, especially if the myth involves the beetuls.

The best story I heard about it was that ALLEGEDLY in a radio show in England show shortly after the GV box set was released there was a contest in which you had to phone in and say who chomped the celery on V-T... and Paul MyCartney phoned in to say "Me!!!" :-D

If that story isn't true, it's made up well! ;D

The radio show was in LA a few years ago... but yes, Macca did call in and say it was him.  :)

The Macca Vega-Tables session

Date & Where: night before a big tour according to Al Jardine / 2nd session that day with Al Jardine according to Brian Wilson
(Version Al) Night before a big tour would be April 12, 1967 / the night-session (2nd that day) took place at Sound recorders
(Version Brian) Also April 12, 1967, because only day with two "Vega-Tables" vocal sessions.
(Version Beatles researchers): April 10, 1967

People present: (Verison Brian) Marilyn Wilson, Hal Blaine, Derek Taylor, Al Jardine, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson
Source: Brian remembers that studio was decorated with Vegetables, he played pool with Hal Blaine using celery stalks for cues, tomatoes and radishes as balls, McCartney raised an eyebrow over that.
Plausible? I doubt.
(2nd possibility) Marilyn Wilson, Mal Evans, Al Jardine, Paul McCarntey, Brian Wilson


What happened: (Story Al) Paul in the control room, talking to Brian, Al had to wait long times between takes, Paul would come on the talkback and say 'Good Take', Brain blown away, couldn't continue the session
(Story Paul) he chewed vegetables

Conclusion: Paul was there in the control room for five minutes, Session aborted, nothing recorded

How could neither Paul nor Brian verify this over the course of 45 years?

Anyone interested in an "leveled out" YouTube upload?

If I listened correctly, ML said that there actually is an AFM sheet for Pt. 2 but no tape was found and if a tape ever existed it has been missing for at least 40 years.

So can we claim it was confirmed?

I wouldn't say that was confirmation. What was Paul gonna do, sit there and say, "I know they're gonna say 'Paul McCartney' is the answer, but damn it, that's not true!"

He then added that no-one (including Brian) can remember that session, so it may have been mis-labelled or cancelled.

Yeah, wasn't he in the habit of cancelling sessions at that time, as the project wore on?

4 takes of Brian doing Surf's Up in late 1967!
very cool

If he was me, he would have done so. But obviously he isn't.

Well not exactly...there are two AFM sheets for Jan. 23, 1967 - the earlier one is for "SURF'S UP", the later one for something called "PART ONE (sweetening)".  The second of the two has a master number that is one digit sequentially higher than the first one.  Does this mean that the first session was for the second movement, and the second session was a string & horn overdub onto a second-stage tape copy of the FIRST movement (taped back in December)?  Or does it mean something else?  No way to tell, since the tape(s) are missing.

I thought the 'sweetening' session on Part 1 had been booted? Or is that a different sweetening session....

Maybe you're thinking of the "George Fell Into His French Horn" overdub session for Part 1 of "Surf's Up"...that was taped Nov. 8, I believe (don't have my sessionography in front of me at the moment, but it was definitely November of '66).  Incidentally, I need to correct my statement two posts above...the 1966 "Surf's Up" track (the one used on the released 1971 version) is from November, not Decemer (the first of Brian's two piano/vocal performances included in TSS box set is from Decemer).  :)

Don't know if it's been reported elsewhere, but the Alan Boyd interview was posted today.
http://www.iconfetch.com/great-music-interviews/2011-shows/419-smile-sessions-alan-boyd-interview.html

GREAT! any way to download it?

Worryingly, there is still some missing tape - Desper's safety copies came to the rescue, apparently


Also, never heard they tried to recreate the SU backing track in 71....

Could have sworn there are two Surf's Up sessions booted, but my detox forbids further investigation. Happy to take your word for it, though  :)

jack, during an interview, talks about this. they worked hard on it but thought it didn't compare to the original. i think, not sure, it was on the bbc 6 part beach boy special from 1974. the one with bob harris.

There are tracking sessions from 11/4/66 and two overdub sessions from 11/7/66 booted. The first overdub session was for the "jewellery" percussion; the second is the "George Fell Into His French Horn" bit, the brass overdubs.

All of this information is here -

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,11250.0.html

That's what I remember! Thanks for clarification  :)

Anyone else listening to the Alan Boyd part and he's cut off mid-sentence?

what's so "lolwut" about my statement? if you listen to Smiley Vegetables, listen to the person sighing and drinking water and sighing again. to me, that totally sounds like Paul.

yes

1) If you don't have Firefox, get it and use that to browse to your "Is it downloadable?" site in question.

2) Download and install the "Download Helper" add-on.

3) Start playing the media you want to download.

4) Pull down the "Tools" menu (you might have to click a "Firefox" button at the top first), then "DownloadHelper," then "Media." You should have an option that contains the now-downloadable file; in this case, it'd be an MP3.

The easiest way is to just download directly: www.iconfetch.com/images/stories/audio/show122alanboydsmile.mp3

(Right click and choose 'save as' or equivalent if your browser insists on playing it instead of downloading the file)

What would Paul have been doing in Brian's home?

Also, I'm not sure how one could pick out Paul munching and going "Mmm". The only voice I can make out there is maybe Carl maybe saying "Oh yeah" somewhere in there. Maybe.

great thanks! How do you find this? I´m also looking for the SECOND part of the interview with Mark.

ML part II: http://www.iconfetch.com/images/stories/audio/show120marklinett2fix.mp3

I just viewed the page source (right click on the page > view source in Firefox) then did a search for '.mp3' within the source.

The "mmm" is a few seconds before the "oh yeah". Those both sound like Paul to me. I'm not saying I steadfastly believe that it's him, probably is Carl.

and what would Paul have been doing in Brian's home? why is that any more weird than him appearing on a Beach Boys recording in the studio? and besides, they were friends!