The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi everyone, I still want to give Barnyard a proper pass, but for now I took a stab at removing the demo piano from I'm in Great Shape. The released track on the box is a bit of a mish mash. It seems they took a piano take from the studio recordings (on some of the boots but not the new box) and mixed it in to the master take in order to create the intro. Maybe the idea was to make it less jarring when the demo piano comes in (piano leading to piano), or maybe it was done just because it makes the track sound fuller. Problem is it wasn't lined up properly. That first uptake chord that Brian plays on the demo (and is on the mixed in piano take) is not beat 1. It wasn't recorded on the master instrumental take that way, nor was it on the BWPS version. It creates a dissonance by mixing the two chords together so I lined them up correctly.

Anyway, enjoy!

http://oron.com/m6whllytlpll

Firstly, thanks so much in advance but just so you know, I'm not able to get this and not sure if anyone else has had any luck either. Well not without paying. Can't wait to hear it though!!!

Try http://rapidshare.com/files/1496843325/gs_new.wav

Excellent work, thanks.

WOW! Just WOW!!

Brilliant job!!! It sounds sooooo clear. Doesn't interfere or cover up any of the backing track. I'm so personally grateful to you for doing this and sharing it with us!

Massive thanks!!!

WOW.  That's as awesome as your Barnyard, thanks so much for that.

I was always a firm believer that Brian sang agriculture at the end of this demo, but now with the piano removed, it's blindingly obvious that it's country.  I'd go as far to say open country.

Indeed. Very nice mix.

GREAT!!!!
Thank You Very much

 :) :serenade :drunks :drum :drumroll :love :thewilsons

hmmm
one wonders what AGD thinks of this, surely an acknowledged improvement on TSS version?

I'm intrigued

Great job.

What's sad is that, back in the day, Brian could have cut the vocals for IIGS and Barnyard in 5 mins and didn't.

I really don't think it's an improvement over TSS. The sound has obvious digital flubs in it. I LOVE the sound of TSS version (much like JMZs mix) - Brian's voice soars in it.

This is a great mix but it doesn't capture the power of Brian's voice - it diminishes it.

interesting point, it certainly exposes it more that's for sure,
maybe it needed doubling up/thickening a little & of course some nice reverb to let it synch in with the music more

Yeah, a little bit of reverb on the vocal track would've made it sound much better methinks.

But this is far better work than I could've even imagined doing.....so I'm not trying to complain! ;D

Great! thanks for your continued work.

Sounds AMAZING. Very clear. This is technically so difficult to do. If it were easy, someone else would have tried it by now. Please keep sharing your progress on these tracks with us because your work is very appreciated.

Great job!

By the way, I think we can say it's UPPER country now for sure. It's clear as a bell here.

hahaha NO.

it's still open country

He's saying "around the head", not "around my head", isn't he?

"Fresh thin air", or is it some kind of French word we don't comprehend?

Laissez-faire =  Faissez-laire?

Cool effort.  With the vocal being so naked, the piano-removal artifacts are so plain to hear on this one (more so than on Barnyard).  The timing is a little funky on the released one as you said but I can't say I think this is miles better...it's just a different approach.  The fact that this approach was not taken on the box set does not represent a failure on the part of Boyd/Linnett in my opinion.

I do think the vocals on this & your Barnyard could stand a little reverb to mask some of the weirdness and artifacts.

I tried to do a synch job of the demo with the Purple Chick backing track, and the main problem is  two piano notes:

"Freshen air around my head *ba ba* morning tumble out of bed *ba ba*....".

Wonderful work, as before.

Sounds great to me and both your efforts will be going on my Smile mix. Thank you for the hard work!

How bout posting it to Soundcloud? You know, easier access and all?

Sounds nice!

I'll have to redo that track on my own SMiLE edit now ...

What happened to the download links?  :(

Nevermind - all is working fine now

Thanks so much for doing this, it sounds incredible!

Thanks for the feedback, I'll try and include those suggestions in a future tweak. I wasn't sure whether to let the studio piano continue playing through the gaps between lines (as it was recorded) or stay silent in the pauses like in the master take with sax/bass and on BWPS. It seems the concept changed at some point whether to have pauses there or not. No surprise. Any opinion on which sounds more pleasing?

Also, could the knowledgeable folk here tell me more about this particular piano take (with sax)? Since it's not on the box I'm not sure whether it was recorded before or after the versions we hear on Disc 2. Same day? Different day? It's played the same way as on the demo without pauses and with leading change chords. Just curious.

By the way, I did make a few minor changes/fixes after posting. So, if you grabbed it yesterday and care it have the "latest and greatest" try downloading it again.

s'easy, even without isolating the vocal.

Let's hear your mix then.  8)

Nevermind, I thought you were talking about something else. I haven't tried it with that particular take, but I wouldn't think it would be too hard, either.

 ::)

Eh? Are you expecting me to be like, "Sure thing, brah - I have no interest in doing such a mix, but I'll do so as proof." I said I "wouldn't think" it'd be too hard.

Is "the Purple Chick backing track" even on the box set? You're talking about the part about 28 seconds in where there a huge shift in tone/quality, right?

The portion I'm referring to starts at 28 seconds in and lasts to roughly to 47 seconds, up to the "tape explosion".

Like so?

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/20/800088//imingreatshapetest.mp3 (http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/20/800088//imingreatshapetest.mp3)

Obviously this was done in like three minutes so it's far from perfect, but I'm saying it sounds like it could be done easily, amirite?

Also, strange that this take didn't end up on the box set.

I believe that's the take I'm referring to which I used and the team used (minus the sax) mixed in with take 3(?) for the final version on CD 1. It begins with Brian telling Van Dyke (who is playing the piano) "Van...a little more of a...a little lighter feeling...a little lighter on the hands...not quite so hard." The only reason the "ba ba" between lines isn't heard in what I posted is because I have it turned off for the various reasons I mentioned above. Do you think it would sound better with the piano continuing with the passing chords (essentially no pauses/breaks)?

It's perfect as is, really. No need to tinker further.

Once again an admirable work, bruiteur!!! :)

Now one thing I'm very interested to hear is the isolated Barnyard vocals without the piano that you mixed into the Barnyard backing track. Just the isolated vocals without the backing track, I mean. Would it be impolite to ask if you could upload that, too? Please?

I must admit that the portion you did worked quite well. Did you change the speed of the " piano demo" at all?

To make this work the piano demo is the only thing that you must let as it is, without changing the speed at all. It's the backing track you need to adapt to the demo, not the contrary. I think they did it "the wrong way" on TSS Disc 1, that's why this particular track doesn't work for me. Your ears will concentrate on the piano demo with vocals automatically, it's confusing if you change the speed or if you cut it, it's the main rhythm on which everything else has to sit upon. Doing it the other way worked better for me (no pun intended) 

Re-up or PM of bruiteur's mix pls. Thanks!

I'd second this. Where did Bruiteur  disappear and did he ever do one of Barnyard?