The Smiley Smile Message Board

Recorded October 9th 1971.

"'Brian Wilson Talks With And About Spring' is a limited edition promo tape featuring Brian Wilson & Diane Rovell: recorded late in the evening after the single tracks, it's quite hilarious. Brian seems to be having some trouble keeping on topic." (source: http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs71.html)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNWbX2BbW78

I've been looking for this for ages, finally got to hear it! Thanks a million. This was... well, really quite something.

This is really cool. Are they on something? I don't think I've ever heard Brian's speaking voice from this period, quite different than I've ever heard.

thanks a million for the upload!

His voice sounds more or less like it did in 1967. Was 'Awake' recorded around this time or was that a few years later? Perhaps his falsetto was already declining by this time, but his speaking voice and singing voice is still the glory it was years earlier.

I already put this up for grabs for board members a few months ago.  Where's my damn stereo Good Vibrations??  :)

Brian's idea of flirting here reminds me a bit of my old boss's idea of flirting. His brain had seemingly been fried from working retail too long. He said "basically" a lot.

Also, in regards to the difference in voice, wasn't this sourced from a cassette? I always assumed the transfer may have made it run a little slower than what was actually being recorded, which happens with cassettes sometimes. Maybe I'm way off. Either way, it wouldn't shock me if he was on something and, as said on the tape, it was pretty late at night which, if they've been awake forever, can alter someone's voice a bit.

"It was a tremendous will power kind of a trip!"  :3d

The YouTube upload is running somewhat slow.

My hero Stephen Desper gets namechecked, that's nice. I really dig that accapella rarity we get to hear near the end.

Yes.

You've gt to do alot more than that for your damn stereo Good Vibrations !

bgas, I was going to use your promo letter as the "video" on Youtube, but I wasn't sure if you were around to grant permission.

How is the quality on the original copy (assuming you've played it)? Is it.. say.. far superior to the circulating copy?

If you want to add it in, you have my blessings.   
as to the original, I haven't listened. Tho wouldn't the copies be the same quality? ( you got it form tape, correct?) 

Thanks man. Maybe I'll try speeding it up (as per AGD) and use that as the video for a "re-mastered version". Very cool piece!


Ahh, ok no problem.

My copy is probably the same that everyone else has. It has a ton of low end rumble and hiss (which I reduced for the video), so I'd have to believe it's several generations removed from the original.

Then again I guess it was recorded on a lofi cassette or reel to reel mic, so who knows.

Even the original was only sent out on a 5 inch reel, so I'm not sure how it would have sounded.  I "think" I might have played the copy I bought at the time, on my mothers' old portable reel player, but Even if I did, I don't remember it now! Seems to me, that the original was copied by Greg Shaw at Bomp!, so Id think it would be fairly close  to the original sound. 
 
 I should probably bake the original and borrow a decent machine to play it. ( the machine I have now only plays 7-1/2 & 15IPS) but with my hearing, I don't know if I could tell the difference, if any. 

I stole my copy (reel tape in a white box) of "Brian Wilson Talks About Spring" off a table in Dick Clark's office on Sunset Blvd. in the mid 70's.  It made the rounds to collectors on cassette shortly thereafter.

That sounds alot like that would make it the reel one! Did it have the booklet and letter?

And here Dick Clark died thinking it was lost forever, you bastard!




Sorry.  ;D

Brian was apparently infatuated with Diane...was the feeling mutual or was it just an inner struggle he kept in check?

So did Spring ever end up performing on David Frost (with BW)? Or anywhere for that matter?

If it has the booklet and the letter.. ship it over and I'll finish your custom Good Vibrations mix.  ;D

Hey Bigass, why do you always include the misspelling of "alot" in many of your posts, usually addressed to me? Do you think that I get irritated by the fact that you misspell "a lot" in your posts? We got it already. You can't spell. It's obvious. But I know you like to keep milking it for all it's worth. I'm not sure; maybe because you think it's funny? All you're doing is making yourself look like more of an ass. Serious. "Alot" is old hat already. You've typed it. I (we) get it. OK? Yeah?

I wondered about that, too, because after Brian and Marilyn divorced, to the best of my knowledge, Diane was single, and um....It's not totally unusual for a guy to be attracted to the sister of his wife or girlfriend. I mean, many times they resemble each other, don't they? I better end this post... :o

I thought it was established that they had an affair...

Yeah, OK, but did Brian ever get with Barbara, Diane and Marilyn's younger sister?

 ;D good points.  And they were both pretty ladies--so you can't blame Brian!


Ah ok!  I guess I never picked up on that.  That seems like quite an inner-battle to fight (being in love with your wife's sister)...I'm surprised none of that came through in Brian's songwriting...

There's this little-known song, titled "My Diane" off The Beach Boys' 1978 LP MIU Album, that you may find rather eye-opening then!

This is getting weird......

It is getting weird?  The subject of Brian and Diane together, inluding the song "My Diane" has been discussed at length on this and other boards over the years. Where ya been? AGD has mentioned 2 or 3 times here that he asked Diane about it point blank and she replied, "Yes".  Not sure why this is getting weird.  It's surely not news!

One of the books (Gaines?) mentions Brian and both Diane and Barbara. You like gossip? Find it and read it!

It wouldn't be a message board for the Beach Boys if it didn't get weird.

Ah yes that's right!

I know the tales, its just speculating about Brian's relationships with them here is odd.

What part of Brian Wilson's life wasn't odd?

Its just going into Brian's life and talking his relationship with the Rovells when we were not there.

which parts of Brian's life WERE we there?

The onstage parts.

Well, some of them.

By that train of thought it's odd to read biographies, watch documentaries/movies, and talk about the things that went into creating the music.
Artists put themselves out there. It comes with the territory.

All I am saying its weird to say its solid 100% truth that Brian got with all three sisters when its really in the BBs rumors.

Precisely.

Exactly. It should be four. You forgot to add Rocky Pamplin.

Guys...he's saying all THREE sisters. The only source for the story that Brian had a thing for Barbara was from the Gaines book and the fake autobiography.  I've never seen confirmation about that.

aah, no! don't bake it ... if it's a promo from '71 (and on a plastic reel), it predates the sticky-era and baking will likely ruin it. Most radio promos are 2-channel, 7.5 ips, so you should be able to play it on yours. it will not likely need any treatment and should play fine if your transport is gentle. in any case, i can transfer it to digital and send it back to you if you'd like.

The tape is already avaiable in digital format.

right ... but the conversation going on here seems to indicate that it could be re-transferred with better fidelity? This particular clip sounds like 2-channels collapsed to mono with some phase problems. sounds like a cassette source.

the original source( Brian's recording) is cassette. so will re-transferring it from reel make it sound any less like the original source?

sorry, i was under the impression Brian's original was on a studio reel.

what is the source of the youtube clip? transferred from the radio dub directly, or from a dubbed cassette copy?

if the original was on cassette, then duped to 1/4" at 7.5 or 3 3/4 ips for radio, then dubbed to cassette and traded among collectors ... then yes, a transfer directly from the radio dub on a good open reel player would probably sound better.

but it probably doesn't matter; it's an interview and it sounds fine. but if the possibility is there to get a cleaner copy, no reason not to go for it. I certainly would.

Ya left out the best bit: Marilyn was sitting next to her, and nodded.  ;D

 

Cool of you to offer to transfer, Donny! bgas, would you consider it, just in case it is in fact a good amount cleaner? Hell, I'll cover one way of shipping.  ;D

I've never heard the original reel, but judging by the amount of hiss & rumble on my pre-denoised cassette copy, I'd tend to think it's been dubbed down quite a few generations. Again, just a guess.

 

You're a cruel, cruel man, AGD  :lol

i have other early 70's brian interviews. more than  what has been posted here. i like the one where brian mentions that roger mcguinn and him were, at one time, going to work on a project together. what, pray tell, would that have been like? i never have , best that i can recall, heard that mentioned any where else.

How uber-cool would a whole album of Ding Dang be?

Ooooh. I'd love to see/hear them! Could ya post 'em?

I've never heard this one from '74 before. Sounds like he did in the Pewter interview. Lucid and articulate, but he probably sparked up a doob or snorted a hog rail before the interview. He laughs at crazy things. Smoker's cough. The feeling of writing car songs was exilerating to him.  Was in Australia when Fun, Fun, Fun went to top 10 and was surprised. Murry came up with the title. Reminisced about Murry and making suggestions about production in the early days. Interviewer here had good questions. Smile - stoned on hash - hippie style music. Even back when he was writing Surfer Girl he didn't stay with one song to finish it but was already onto the next song (like he did with Smile). Says he still had that problem (in 1974). Talked about Roger McGuinn. Up 24 hours and then sleeps 2 days in Bel-Aire. He goes with some guy named Bill to do business at the record company. Loved Leiber/Stoller records. Loves short records. Talked about TM. This is as good or better than the Pewter interview!

He still had his high voice intact in '74 - just starting to show just a little hoarseness but plenty of clarity left.  It's really too bad he thrashed his vocal chords the next couple of years.  It's sad.  Damn.

yeah, maybe that's all he meant (one song)  but somehow i was thinking he meant a whole lpish like project. but it could have been only one song i guess.

That interview is from 1976 where Brian mentions Roger and has been on Youtube. It was shot for the Old Grey Whistle test.

ok..all i know is, before it burnt up, the cassette had "brian c '74" on it. i luckily had made a mp3 of it before the fire. thanks for the info mike. i got the cassette from larry froebe's collection. all the info i had.

Steve was kind enough to send me this interview. Definitely don't recognize it as one of the interviews making the rounds (although it is entirely possible I have some holes in my collection).

The Old Grey Whistle Test interview - is that the one that has an accompanying video?

edit: The interviewer mentions "Holland" as "the last album". Hmm.

Hm maybe he mentioned it in a second one I haven't heard. Hope to hear it one day.

I'll upload it in a few!

I think it's indeed from around 1974, Steve. He sounds just like he did during the Pewter interview. Compare this voice with, say, the Mike Douglas interview in 1976. The two voices are the difference between night and day. MUCH clearer on this tape from '74.  And why else would Larry write "Brian circa '74" on it?

yeah...larry knew his beach boy sh*t, that's for sure! plus a real great guy. but that is all i know..what was on the label.

Steve, you rebuilding your collection? :)

parts of it... :)

Is this interview available to hear anywhere? Been trying to collect 70s Brian Wilson interviews lately.. There's another one I just heard of Brian and Diane from 1973, where Brian mentions that he hasn't been recording or producing much, just been trying to promote "his main band for the last 2 years" American Spring. Also explains why the name was changed from Spring. Great interview but it also weirdly ends with laughing that I didn't understand. Possibly the comment about "my main band for the last 2 years is Spring" which has been quoted a lot around the board I'm sure.

Ah man, I was supposed to upload this! I'd have to find the file name again.

Would absolutely love to hear it! :)

That was when he fled to NYC after Murry died - Brian started laughing uncontrollably because he'd said they were going to be on Ed Sullivan before he remembered the show had been off-air for about two years by then. He wasn't in a good place then, to put it mildly, and understandably so.

Thanks for the info. I didn't get why everyone was laughing but now it makes sense. I didn't know Ed Sullivan was off the air by then. I did notice the interviewer asking Brian how New York was. I had no idea he fled to NYC after Murry died. I guess Marilyn and Diane came with him? Very fascinating period of his life that I don't really know much about.

Also it was sad to hear Brian's voice when he said "the Beach Boys records just aren't selling".. you can hear that he has grown frustrated and uninterested in the group, and he is also trying (in vain) to promote the Spring  'Shyin' Away' single - "PLEASE buy the record"... All that plus Murry's death must have crushed him at the time.

Just Diane.

Oh... that's....interesting :P

Poor Marilyn  :-\

I think the tape is actually running in a slightly higher speed than the original, making Brian's voice sound different.

poor brian :-\.. two fuglies fucked up his life.. *

* or three with melinda.

Wow that's horrendous of you.

Something I've always admired about Brian -- unlike most rock stars, he goes for the ordinary-looking, attractive women (none of the 3 you mentioned are remotely ugly).

Just imagine, in some parallel universe, parallel us are on the Dumb Angel message board talking about Brian Wilson Talks With And About Charles Manson.

On par with newguy's "banging brian's wife" thread.....

You, of course, are the epitome of beauty.  >:(

See you in seven days.

There are some women who are amazingly attractive from any angle, any setting, any time of day... then there are women like Marilyn and Diane who can look quite plain in some photos,  while quite hot in others... my wife,  in case she's lurking, fits the former category!

I am not trying to get off topic here but has anything been heard about Carolyn (the nurse) since 1983? I have always wondered about her. It's very likely that her and Brian were in love at one point until Landy put an end to it. Just wondering how she adjusted to normal life after such a heavy time.

She's around on social media.

Some people, especially those unfamiliar with the Smiley Smile board rules, might take the "See you in seven days" comment as a positive, sort of like, "I heard you'll be out of town for a week, so looking forward to hearing from you in seven days."  A more appropriate response might have been, "Your ass is banned for a week, and if you continue posting like a dumb f*ck, you'll be permanently outta here!"  

But, in any event, I do appreciate the mods taking care of such dumb-ass posts..  

And for what it's worth, I sorta miss the old filters, where "sh*t" showed up as "merda" and "f***" showed up as "foda".  A number of years ago, when I first joined this board, I was amazed at the civility of the posters, politely using the terms "merda" and "foda" until one day I was advised by a friend that the filters were changing "sh*t" and "f***" to "merda" and "foda".  I can swear as well as the next guy, but it was relay more fun having expletives filtered to less objectionable terms so as to move the board to a higher level of discourse.

Thanks, Andrew, glad to see she's still alive. I don't want to bother her, I just always feel like she's kind of mostly forgotten about in the big story. Maybe one day we'll know more about her without having to disrupt her privacy (unless she does want to come out and speak up about it).