The Smiley Smile Message Board

From Brian Wilson's facebook page:

Listen to "Fantasy is Reality" from 1994, co-written by Brian, and performed by Brian, Carnie Wilson and bassist Rob Wasserman. Brian plays piano and organ on this one:

http://www.brianwilson.com/i-just-wasn-made-for-these-times

This is pretty cool, very Brian really - especially the ending!  Thoughts?  Anyone know anything about this? 

From Rob Wasserman's 1994 album Trios. It's pretty decent...and yet another variation on that Shortenin' Bread riff.

Most of the song is written by Sam Phillips (not the Sun studios guy), and was a pre-existing tune. Brian and Rob wrote the chorus together, and Brian wrote the tag. (Of course.)

Thanks for the info - that's why I love this board  :)

I always liked this one. Bought "Trios" when it first came out, though I honestly don't think I ever played another track on the CD.

IMHO,  this wasn't the best era for Brian in terms of lead vocals, but his layered backings never let him down. Someone mentioned Shortenin' Bread, but the tag at the end also always reminded me of the whole "Pied Piper better get back in bed" bit. Maybe...just a little in style (though obviously without any CW input).

Somewhere...I have a VHS recording of a piece that Brian and Carnie did for Entertainment Tonight while they were laying it down.

was it taken down?

i'm not seeing it.

Love Carnie's voice. Do you have Carnie & Wendy's Christmas album, Hey Santa, and Carnie's solo album, Christmas With Carnie? She does some great vocals on them including "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "We Three Kings",  and "Merry Christmas Darling".

It's right under the "IJWMFTT" album cover.


That's awesome. Don't think I ever saw that one. Any chance you could upload it?

I'd love to...if I could find it! I'm ashamed to say that I have boxes and boxes of unlabeled VHS, Beta and 3/4 inch U-Matic tapes. Not good.

Record COmpany Syndrome Eh... ;D

Such a beautiful tune. Carnie really is an awesome singer. Beautiful singing, but no hint of oversinging. Just sings the melody how it's supposed to go, with no additional riffing. A lost art among most of nowadays female vocalists.

Brian's chorus vocals are positively creepy. That childlike "fantasyyyy"... Well, it's a nice contrast.

The "Clang-ding-dangin'" round at the end owes much to the still unreleased "Clang" from late 1975 (but not "Clangin'", which is another song entirely based on the "I'm The Pied Piper" riff" - still with me ?). Sounds a bit like something from TLOS, no ?

I'm not sure Carnie is capable of oversinging like some of today's pop singers, and I think that's a blessing. She serves the song, rather than the other way around. Her voice is very pretty and soothing (nice contrast to Brian's voice in this song), and belting is overdone and overrated. Carnie's voice is similar to Marilyn's in that she could be your neighbor who you hear singing. You don't say, "That's an extraordinary voice." You say, 'That's a nice voice." But it works. And Carnie has a better voice than Marilyn.

I agree that Carnie has the best voice in Wilson-Phillips. I don't know much of their stuff but it seems like Chynna sings lead whenever I see them on TV.

This song is so dumb. And Brian's contribution is so tacked on. Why would they be hyping this?

hahahaha this song is so funny. serious piano ballad -> SHORTENIN BREAD! -> serious piano ballad -> SHORTENIN BREAD! SHORTENIN BREAD! SHORTENIN BREAD!

 :lol

Is this track in circulation?  If so, if someone could tell me which boot it's on I would appreciate it.

I KNEW it sounded familiar! :lol

I like their voices-- don't get me wrong. But they remind me of tons of girls who were in my HS choir and got the solo parts. Nice voices, good pitch, good timbers, pleasant to listen to, but not off the charts unusual. As I say, though, I like that. There are too many singers these days who do "vocal gymnastics." Carnie being better than Marilyn is a matter of opinion. I've heard Marilyn sound great and not as great (IMO) on various recordings. I actually haven't heard THAT much of Carnie, so maybe I should reserve judgment.

BTW, I like voices that serve the song. Fred Astaire is one of my favorite singers. I think he was a lot better than he seemed, that makes sense. You think he's just some guy singing the words, but his phrasing is impeccable. You could argue that Bing Crosby or Sinatra were better, but I often choose to listen to Astaire instead. A lot of things go into making a good singer.

It doesn't circulate.

I'm confused by the terminology used in this thread - for one, it's not an outtake at all, and it was specific to a project as mentioned called "Trios". I remember hearing *about* this album from Wasserman, then going to Tower Records, corner of Mass Ave and Newbury to grab a free listen on their new CD listening stations, where they had a (usually greasy) pair of headphones and a system where you could punch in a number and play tracks from a selection of new releases. Pre-internet days of course.

So it's not anything which wasn't officially released and wasn't known and/or promoted and discussed back in the day when it was a new album. The drawing card of the album wasn't just Wasserman playing with a lot of noted musicians, but I think most of the "hype" around it was that Brian and Carnie were on the album - remember in 1994, Brian doing anything of this sort was big, exciting news because he just wasn't doing what fans in 2012 *take for granted* as his regular recording and performance schedule. Not to leave out the fact that he was recording with his daughter, and that was a big "what if?" for years since they had not really done anything substantial in the way of a collaboration.

So anytime you'd see Brian Wilson recording, releasing, or appearing for something-anything at this time, it was big news and the fans tracked it down with excitement. Like this one-off track from "Trios", which most likely would have fallen by the wayside in terms of 2012 standards had Brian and Carnie not contributed a track with Rob.

I think the BW Facebook posting of the tune just wanted to hip some newer fans or fans who have just joined up in the past 10 years to a somewhat obscure track which, at that time and in certain circles, may have been a bigger deal for just being what it represented for Brian and Carnie and their fans at that time, more notable than the actual album release where it could be found.

But it isn't an outtake, or a "lost track", or anything of the sort because it was released, promoted, and given attention by BW's fan base at the time, at least I and others I knew considered it a big deal to get a song by Carnie and Brian released on any album.

I don't recall seeing this posted, but if it has been already let me know. Since this track generated some buzz after Brian's Facebook posting of it, I dug out this sidebar article from Pulse! magazine, the April 1994 issue, to tell the story and clear up any speculation about what it is or how it got released. The Pulse! article was on Rob Wasserman's follow-up to his "Duets" and earlier "Solo" albums, and has several pages of stories and photos including shots of Jerry Garcia, Les Claypool, Willie Dixon, a few lines about the Neil Young/Bob Weir track, etc., and other famous names playing with Rob for the project. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll scan and make the other pages available.

But the Brian-Carnie collaboration was such an event for that time, they dedicated an entire sidebar in the article to explain how it all came about. Read through it and note how it credits this song and project with being somewhat of a landmark event in opening up the father-daughter relationship which had been distant for years leading up to this project. In that way, and in context of what things were like in 1994, the track takes on a bit more weight as something personally significant to the family dynamic and the history of the whole thing.

The photo was taken by Henry Diltz. Copy and paste the direct link if you cannot read or enlarge it from this post.

(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/fantasyisrealitysession.jpg)


EDIT: Damn, it didn't appear large enough onscreen to read, sorry: Here is the direct link, just click on it or copy and paste it, you'll see it full-sized:

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/fantasyisrealitysession.jpg (http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/fantasyisrealitysession.jpg)

Never seen/read this! Thanks a million!  :3d

It was one of the first BW solo songs I knew and dug back in the early 00's.

Yeah, I bought the CD when it came out just for that one song with Brian and Carnie. I love the song, and as I posted above, love Carnie's voice. Frankly, Brian almost ruins what could've been a truly great song by his musical parts which don't fit the song, and his shouting vocals.

I remember trying to get into the whole CD, but failed. The instrumental "Satisfaction" is the only other track I remember.

EDIT: Yeah, I remember the Entertainment Tonight feature mentioned above, and I believe there was also an article with pictures in People Magazine. I remember seeing how huge Brian had become since 1991-92; he wasn't shaven and his hair was greasy. I remember thinking, "Oh, no...." And then, shortly after that he married Melinda who cleaned him up.

EDIT: Link no longer valid - image is on page 1. Thanx.

Didn't know there was an outtake for this.  I don't think that's what he meant for the title of the thread. I picked up the Trios CD and that same issue of Pulse at Tower Records back then and enjoyed that article.

I've always loved that song. One of Carnie's finest moments. Just a great vocal!

I think to most of the Brianista crowd, if it's not on one of the major albums it's considered an "outtake".

I doubt it's a Brian-ista thing as much as it is newer fans joining in. There are bound to be many items which would be "new" to someone who hasn't been involved in it as long as others. That was why I scanned that Pulse article from '94 - to clear up any misunderstandings, any wrong information, any speculations, any outright falsehoods that may surround that track, including considering it an outtake which I believe was a term only used mistakenly because of unfamiliarity with the song or the original project, from '94. No big deal, no "Brianista" stuff at work here, as long as everyone is on the same page.

The Pulse sidebar piece clears it all up, for future history and whatnot.

I actually miss Pulse magazine, I used to look forward to getting it free at Tower. It was good for that time.

As far as killing my other thread and combining it with this one, do what you please I guess: That's fine for organization, but why not also correct the title of this one to remove the impression that the song is in any way an outtake? The purpose of scanning and posting it in another thread was to correct any misunderstandings and get the facts on the song out there and archived for future use on this board, direct from the source minus the speculation.

Or not, I really don't care either way, just commenting on seeing the other thread disappear.

(I'd like to make more than a few nonsensical threads disappear from the board myself, but I'll refrain from getting specific.  ;D )

I don't think that's necessarily true - he has several albums worth of songs that aren't on on of his official joints. This one is not as talked about, not as common, and doesn't feature a Brian vocal. More people are bound to know not of it, more so than say, "What Love Can Do" or "This Song Wants To Sleep With You Tonight".

Maybe I do care after all because I didn't take the time to find the article, scan the article at a high resolution, edit the image, clip and fix it, upload it onto a photo host, create a new thread for it, write a few lines about it, and post it here to have it lost on the bottom of page one in a thread that exists under a factually incorrect title and premise, and has several incorrect points that the article clears up.

So let me voice that I disagree with the moderator(s) on this decision to choose where these threads appear or don't appear, and in this case maybe a better decision would be to leave it as-is, especially considering the number of duplicate and repeat-topic threads, not to mention the other stuff that clogs up this fine board and isn't worth mentioning.

My 2 cents.  :)

I'll bet you any sum you like that there's an very audible Brian Wilson vocal on the track in question. ANY. SUM. And I will win.

Seriously, when people post such complete nonsense, is it any wonder some of us get a trifle irked ?  Have you actually listened to the song, recently or at all ?

Jason knows that.  He just likes to stir the sh!t.  ;D

Guitarfool's attention to detail is unsurpassed on this board.   In fact, you could call him an "Unsurpassed Master" at detailed analysis here.  Huh huh huh huh huh.                     Huh.   :-D

Best quote from this: "I knew right away which parts my father had written. It's that chord thing I've heard in my head since I was born."

I'm a fan. It's a personal goal of mine to spread the information!

Andrew,

Yes, I have heard the song, and recently.

I think you misunderstood what I meant, and that is mostly my fault. I don't think the song FEATURES a Brian vocal. He sounds more like a 'special guest'. He is surely audible, especially in the chorus and the Clangin' bit at the end. It has some of his trademark thing going on, but then again, most of everything he has a hand in does. As opposed to the other tracks, in which he was a lead vocal running all through them. Again, sorry, my bad.

There was also a spread in People magazine about this. Brian looked even worse in it. Apparently, at the time, he had a phone booth in his house (like a Doctor Who style thing) that he used as a hiding place.

... and here it is!

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20108073,00.html

(http://storage.people.com/people/archive/jpgs/19940509/19940509-750-163.jpg)
(http://storage.people.com/people/archive/jpgs/19940509/19940509-750-166.jpg)

Yeah, obviously. This was new to all of us at some point, right? (I think a lot of it is still new to me at times  ;D)

Ah, too bad...  I love that riff.  Thanks though!

Wait. So let's get this right, once and for all.

"Clang" has the "clang-ding-dangin" thing. This is from 1975.
"Clangin'" has the "I'm The Pied Piper" riff and "mow-mama-yama". This is from 1974, and was worked on again in 1976.

Correct?


I think he looks pretty good in the People article. However, I do think he looked a little too big in a shot in the studio with Van Dyke and (I think) Larry Waronker.

Not exactly... "Clang" is the "mow-mama-yama-holy-hallelujah" chant (vide the 1976 Rolling Stone David Fenton mega-article, the one with Brian on the cover w/bathrobe & surfboard. Moses Wilson). Otherwise, yes, and my source defines the word "impeccable".

From what you gather, are these tracks release-worthy & worth hearing someday? Other than the fact that anything Shortenin Bread/BW related is epic.

The likes of us would find them interesting, but Joe Q. Public... not. That said, "Teeter-Totter Love" got released !

He does not look terrible to me. In fact, I think he was bigger by the time of the Summer of Love video.
BTW, doesn't that PM issue feature also an article on David Marks? There was one around those days.

You're thinking of "B-side", which most folks mistakenly apply to literally anything that's not on an album anymore. Actual B-side, compilation track, demo, rough mix, released, leaked online, completely unreleased and unheard - all are "B-sides" now. I actually had an edit war on Wikipedia over a guy insisting some common deluxe edition bonus tracks were B-sides, saying it was an "industry term" for any song not on an album. I had to let it go due to the guy's insistence on policing this page and dozens of others. I can't compete with that kind of passion.  It was a good time and I recommend everyone here try it.

When Carnie says she has the same piano playing style as her father, she ain't kidding. Back in 1986 I watched her play (on the sandbox piano) at Marilyn's house, and it was eerie/scary: same 'stance', same tilt of the head, same sideways look. Not like Brian - it was Brian.

Blimey :o :o It's gone very quiet

Has it ever been explained why her name is Carnie?

I thought it was diminutive (a corruption?) of 'carnation' because Marilyn and Brian wanted a flower-name but not one so... obvious?

So they opted to name her after a nickname for carnival workers.

It is indeed a contraction of "Carnation".

Is her full name actually "carnation"?
Funny that she plays piano just like Brian. Her personality seems very similar too, only maybe without the shyness. She seems to have that same directness and lack of filter.

God bless the Beach Boys! Beyond our personal orbit, could you imagine explaining to someone the finer points of "mow-mama-yama-holy-hallelujah?"

 ;D


That actually sounds kinda cool to me. Pure wacky indulgence. I bet that Melinda put a stop to that. She's no rock and roll fun. ;)