The Smiley Smile Message Board

Apols if this has been gone over before...

Just looking at the wikipedia entry for the new album (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That%27s_Why_God_Made_the_Radio#Track_listing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That%27s_Why_God_Made_the_Radio#Track_listing)) in particular the track listing, but apart from A Baker and C Love singing on "Daybreak Over the Ocean", J Foskett on vox/guitar and J Cowsill on drums, the personnel  listed are only the five members of the Beach Boys. Can this be true? No other musicians? No bass player, keyboardist, guitarists, percussionists? I know that theoretically there are enough musicians in the band to play these instruments, but can it really be true that +/- everything except the drums was played by the Beach Boys?

(Odd choice for a thread title, dude.. rather impractical.  ;))

Didn't we have a photo of Darian and some other folks working with Brian on the new BBs album? And Probyn Gregory himself stated that he played on a few tracks.
I bet there's Brian's guys somewhere on the album, and guys from Mike's and Bruce's band as well.

It's just Wikipedia.. some dude with limited information must have written that.

This is just because this is the only information widely available on the recording personnel, that's all. I know because I've been doing my fair share of Wiki-editing for the album and single but I've since given up.

I'd lay the farm, the college fund, a few major organs and my immortal soul (if I had one) that David - and maybe Brian - aside, none of the band plays on the album.

And given that "Daybreak" is the 2005-ish recording with added BB vox, I'm betting the credits for that will be entirely different to the others, down to the producer.

Yes, of course, I'm sure you're right. I'd forgotten that not everything on the internet is true.  :lol

Will be interesting to see the actual sleeve notes when the CD is out.

Wouldn't surprise me if most of the backing group wasn't on the album.

It wouldn't? Then who was playing?

 Thomas' people?

I'd argue that - if you're an FB friend of Cowsill or Probyn you'll know they played on a few tracks, and I'm guessing Paul did some woodwinds (and the arrangements). Thomas played stuff on Imagination, if I recall correctly.

… as did Mr Mertens. He's been aboard a long time now.

The musicians who played on the album are mostly Brian's band, with a few Joe Thomas ringers, and David on guitar. Doubt if any of the other Beach Boys play a note, unless Brian taps the keys a little.

Right, this is what I expected.  Thanks for a definitive word.

... not even a little rhythm guitar here and there by a certain Jardine?

Why would he be playing? He's not an especially good guitarist, as I'm sure he'd admit himself (he's not *bad*, but nor is he particularly proficient), and if they wanted a guitar part Scott Bennett, Scott Totten, Nick Walusko, Probyn Gregory, Jeff Foskett, David Marks and whoever Thomas' session musicians are were all available, almost all of whom are far better on the instrument.
Given the songwriting and production credits, I strongly suspect that Brian was the only Beach Boy to attend any of the tracking sessions, except for those sessions that David played on (and Daybreak, presumably).

Is he even playing guitar live at the shows?

I know all that, but I thought maybe they might have shoved him in somewhere...  ;D

A very dangerous thing to forget lol.

After seeing Al's record store appearances on  YouTube, he's a surprisingly strong guitarist with better skills than I thought.  However, he does stumble around at times, like a guy who doesn't practice a whole lot, and that's not a very economical way to make a record.  That's why studio musicians played parts for bands that had good musicians.  Good isn't good enough when time is limited.

 ???

He also played bass on a number of Beach Boys tracks back in the 60's (can't remember which ones but it's in Jon's book) so he obviously knows his way around a fretboard. You can clearly hear him play guitar on the videos of him playing with the Mother Hips. Actually the sound of those clips makes me want to hear the guys do a small stripped back mini-set with Bruce back on bass and Brian plunking away on keys and just their voices alone. I'm sure if they got the song choice just right they could pull it off and we'd get to hear Al's guitar!  ;D

From the videos, he's playing on most songs. Whether his guitar is in the mix, or if it's just there to give him something to do the way Brian and Bruce have their keyboads, I don't know, but he's holding a guitar and looks to be playing the right chords.

I'm looking forward to hearing decent mixes, because I can't figure out where any of the guitar sounds are coming from other than Mark's distinctive twang and Totten now and again on the audience recordings. Do they really need so many up there? Which ones are safety blankets?

Al is by no means a virtuoso guitarist. But when he wants to, he is actually a much stronger guitarist than we're usually given an indication of. He seems, as a number of guitarists I've known, to get stuck noodling and tuning and obsessing when he picks up a guitar sometimes.

But he can play some fingerpicking stuff pretty well. Also, I saw him actually play a few of the early era leads at a small show he did in 2005 (with Steve Heger's band rather than his "Family and Friends" crew), and he played them with the authenticity that David Marks does now. Not major lead stuff at all, but the little bit like at the end of the middle bit on "409", etc. Again, not a virtuoso guitarist, but better than he usually lets us see, and as with many generally musically talented people, he could have probably been an even better guitarist over the years if he would have wanted to. I think being the least prominent guitarist in a non guitar-heavy band for years hasn't really afforded him a reason to hone his skills.

FWIW, when Al was in Brian's late 2006 tour, he did play at least one guitar solo. Don't remember what song...might have been "Dance, Dance, Dance"...

I believe it was the solo in Do It Again and the licks in Sail On Sailor.
I heard he did many solos at his own concerts at that time as well. Fun Fun Fun for example

if someone can find this, there's this hilarious video (which was at one point on youtube and still might be) of some awards show or something in the 80s celebrating great guitarists, and Al gets called up to jam with people like Chuck Berry and other classic guitar players, and it seems like he totally wasn't expecting it. everyone takes a solo and his is the absolute worst.

Here it is (Al at 6:35):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeEzW84jSfM

Al is actually a really great guitar player. I saw a show around 2003 or so and he played all the solos and nailed 'em -- I was blown away.  Not sure what was up with that clip ... I think he's just kind of meticulous and was unprepared or something.