The Smiley Smile Message Board

Might be a controversial opinion, but am I the only one that doesn't really like the use of the Baldwin organ in some of their songs? I feel it almost plagues stuff like Darlin' (the live version on In Concert was much better)  and Here Comes The Night... the only song I can think of where it works really well is Whistle In.

The Baldwin?

BALDWIN WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT

I could swear that this thread was about Albert Hammond.

We should totally make it about Albert Hammond.

Some people really like transistor organs and some think they sound 'cheesy' ... so, no you're not alone. I love 'em, including Brian's Baldwin sound. Is it even on 'Darlin' and 'Whistle In'?

I coulda sworn.

whew....I was afraid thread might be about Alec's "wee wee"

Anyway, carry on...

The Baldwin is the most signifigant instrument in the BB lore, (or maybe it's a tie with with Brian's tack piano and sandbox grand), even though it is associated with a bit darker chapter of their history. What a beautiful thing Love and respect the Baldwin!

I'm not hearing the Baldwin on the mono Whistle In (just a very bright piano, bass, and backing vocals that kind of sound organ-like) or Darlin'.  ???

Does anyone know what eventually happened to the Baldwin and where it might be today? I often wonder what became of all the instruments and equipment in the home studio over the ensuing years. Does Brian ever still think of the Baldwin these days, i wonder? We know Al sure does.  >:D

In that case I'm a tone-deaf moron and this thread has been a total misfire.

I saw a strange little white upright piano on eBay a few years ago that was supposedly owned by BW during the period.

I used to not like the Baldwin organ.  Mainly because it further darkened/muddied the already murky and soggy Smiley Smile -- which I hated when I first heard it as a kid.  I hated it.  I really did.

Now I like it a lot.  It's so unique.  So odd.  So dark and crazy.  It totally fits/makes/completes the band's sound during that era.

However -- when I finally heard it in better fidelity on the recent 2012 Smiley Smile remaster -- in STEREO -- I loved it.  I want more of it.  I feel like I finally understood why Brian loved it so much.  There's a lot of subtle things about that organ's sound that didn't make it onto the previous versions of Smiley (or Wild Honey) that I had.  I can only imagine how great it sounds live.

Hopefully we get some Baldwin on Brian's new solo album!!!!   :hat

One point to consider and keep in mind about all of these instruments: Context. If we view some of them with a 2013 slant, the opinions could range from classic to vintage to cool to cheesy. The Baldwin in modern terms might seem like an odd choice to us, and we in a vintage/retro mindset would think why didn't Brian use something with more cool vintage cache, like the Hammond B3 or C3 or any number of those like the Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Mellotron, Chamberlin, Farfisa, Continental, etc.

When Brian got that Baldwin organ in '67, that had all of the bells and whistles, including possibly dozens of sounds and stops which a Hammond B3 or similar did not have. It was new technology to access all of those theater type organ tones and some new electronic ones at the touch of a few levers and buttons.

In 1967 the other now classic names I listed above were known for a specific sound and slight variations of those sounds, like adding percussion clicks on the Hammond. Brian at this time was looking for the new and different sounds, something to set his sound apart and look for new possibilities.

Look at how he experimented with a handful of keyboard textures when he was trying out "Love To Say Dada" - the Fender Rhodes was brand new, and there was Brian trying it out on his newest sessions. He decided not to use it, but the point is he went for the latest keyboard that was hitting the market.

It just happened that he received the Baldwin which had dozens of sounds at his fingertips, and in 1967 it was the right time for what he was looking for: new and different sounds. And what we might consider less cool or "classic" than what sounds we'd now consider the ultimate vintage keys to use, in 1967 this was a new tool to use and it did spark something in him to use these sounds to anchor his songs.

If Smiley Smile had become a major hit album and others started to go for the same sounds, we'd have a similar market for those Baldwin theater organs today as there are for even the lesser model Farfisa, Vox, and Rhodes/Wurli keyboards.

Will you be happy if we have Keith Emerson come in a re-do all the Baldwin tracks with a mighty B-3?

Karn Evil No. Darlin

Who is the "you" you're referring to?  :)  It's odd to see that reply considering I just wrote a longer post defending the Baldwin organ, and I've been talking up the Baldwin sound as a fan since I started posting on BB's boards around 2002.

And going beyond the odd timing of the reply/question, Keith Emerson most often played a C3. Just to set the record straight.  :lol

It was for the OP. I didnt read your post  ;D

FTR I like the BB sound just fine the way it is.

And ELP wouldnt be quite the same with Emerson playing a baldwin.  :lol

I think George Harrison liked using a Baldwin Organ too. 

I loved the sound of it on Smiley Smile. Kinda got that dark creepy sound, perfect.  Especially wind chimes.  Wouldn't be the same if it was a Hammond (well
no, it would be a Hammond :)). 

Listen to Good Vibrations on Hawthorne.

That's cool, I mean not that you didn't read the post, but in general... ;D  The timing of the reply was odd, that's what struck me.

I was thinking of those who ask "whatever happened to the Baldwin?" or "why didn't he use it again?", and expanding on something I wrote here earlier, I have a few answers.

First, I think he had already used it and wanted to explore new sounds. He had used the Hammond since 1963 on hit records, after 1966 and Good Vibrations I think he simply wanted to move forward and try new sounds. Wjere BB's records had featured Hammond or real piano textures most prominently, followed of course by some harpsichord and tack piano, after GV listen to what Brian most often featured through '67 and '68: A detuned, very bizarre sounding upright and the Baldwin. He was looking for new sounds.

It's similar to The Beatles, in some ways. When they were at their peak in the studio and breaking new ground with recorded pop music, starting around Rubber Soul and continuing up until the fractured White Album, those around them specifically said they would use a sound on one album, like backwards guitars or some other studio-created effect, then discard it sometimes entirely for their next project. They didn't want the sounds or the music to sound stale, and they wanted to try new things. Go from Rubber Soul to Revolver to Pepper to MMT, and you rarely hear a sonic or studio trick or gimmick overplayed or repeated from album to album. And the music stayed fresh.

Next, as far as where is the Baldwin today or why hasn't it been used: I don't know where it is, if anyone actually does I've never heard even a rumor on the whereabouts, but there is always the issue of mechanics and repair/maintenance concerns to consider. Perhaps at some point it just broke down and was never fixed: Transistor and solid state technology in 1967 in general was erratic and spotty at best, and could be very flawed at its worst. Just ask the Fender company. Their late 60's "groundbreaking" line of solid state amps were the Edsel of the amp industry, as were many other companies' foray into transistors over tubes, because they were simply unreliable, sounded bad to many ears, and had design flaws. The technology got better, as we know, but those mid to late 60's transistorized solid-state products were full of what many would consider flaws and which is why they're just not sought after.

Or maybe the Baldwin is still in storage somewhere and working as good as it did in '67, who knows. I just wanted to mention the other solid state products from the same era as a possible reason why it perhaps got relegated to somewhere other than the studio.

The last place I think we can actually see Brian's white Baldwin is in that Halloween mask group photo claiming to be something related to "My Solution"...I need to check but I think you can see the music stand of that Bladwin peeking out behind one of the band members in their costume mask.

I absolutely love the Baldwin, right up there with the distinctive slightly out-of-tune piano that's all over Wild Honey.  Man, BW knew how to put together some fantastic sounds...

This post should be excerpted and moved to a permanent location, because it is the truth! I for one love the Baldwin, and on some days Smiley Smile is still my favorite Beach Boys album. I never understood the hate for this lovely instrument. Were someone to gift me a Baldwin, I would do my best to incorporate it in as many of my own tracks as I could. Its got "the spook", as Neil Young would say.