The Smiley Smile Message Board

After reading both articles, I felt like I had a lot of questions about these tapes. So, I found the author's email and sent him a message asking if he would answer questions. He swiftly wrote back asking where the questions would be published - I told him they would be published here - and gave me the go-ahead to send any questions I had.

So, I'm here to collect some questions that you guys may want to ask. When I get answers, I'll update everything here.

So, uh, ask away!

My question:

"What were you hoping would be accomplished by publishing these two articles?"

Why were you given access to these tapes now?

What's the most fun thing you can do in a bedroom?

How many unreleased songs did you actually listen to?

Tell him we all said thanks for answering the questions! Great idea to email him.

what are the drawbacks in releasing these songs to the public? not a good enough seller or enough interest? Brother Inc.? Brian?

RickB

Why did you document so many songs that have been formally released? To make the article more robust and substantial? I understand that you are addressing a general audience. If some of these songs weren't released previously (not just the recently released MIC box set, but the '93 box set and 2-fer bonus tracks) then they have been bootlegged for many years. But I appreciate the little stories behind each one. Thr hardcores here understand that Brian Wilson was not just sleeping in his room during those years. Less productive for sure, but not totally unproductive.

This. ^

How many are booted and already in his collection, and how many (which) was he given special access to in order to write the piece.

What was the impetus for the piece - was he approached by Brian's manager with a suggestion that he write the piece, or was he himself realise there was a story in this eclectic pile of scattered recordings?

L.A. Weekly recently was granted access to many of these never-before-heard tapes from 1968 to 1974 — almost 60 titles in all — currently stored at the Beach Boys' archive on Vanowen Street, near Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.


Anything else of note?

You gotta be kiddingg


GOLDRUSH

Is there any possibility these recording will ever be released

During the 1973 and 1974 songs you've heard, did you notice any changes in Brian's voice?

When I come to the USA this year can you give me the key? Or let me in?

The Yukon I'm guessing!

http://www.pacifictitlearchives.com/index.html

Alright, I sent him the first round of questions. We should hopefully see some answers tomorrow.

I apologize if your (entire) question doesn't get asked. I don't want to overwhelm him with our questions.
Do keep them coming, though! I'll send him some more after he answers the first few.

Based on the article, I'm not sure if he heard them or not but man, I'd love to know how complete the revised Friends tracks are and what type of production styling they have. No lead vocals? No problem, give us versions of the instrumental tracks and then versions with flown in vocals from the Friends album. >:D

Ooh, if we go for round two of question time, I'd like to know if the alternate version of I'd Love Just Once to See You is a different mix. I always thought those end vocals were a little buried, one would hope if they're the standout in an extended tag they'd be a bit louder, right? Would be even more awesome to hear that it's in stereo - would bridge the sonic stage between Wild Honey and Friends nicely.

First bout of answers:

Hi [Bubbly Waves],

Below are my answers.

"Why were you given access to these tapes now?"

Like a number of historians in the Beach Boys circle, I've had access for a while. Official access, I had only one time -- in 2003, when I co-produced a documentary for the Carl WIlson Foundation with Alan Boyd, BRI's official archivist. In non-official ways, I've been privvy, through the years, to a number of unreleased and unpublished recordings. To the non-journalist, this whole notion may seem unbelievable. For those who write for a living, it's quite a natural relationship that the writer develops with those who have greater access than they.

"What was the impetus for the piece?"

I wrote an article for "L.A. Weekly" about a '90s band called Moog Cookbook. It got a great response. The editor of the paper asked me if I had anything else I wanted to write about. I gave him a few ideas and he liked the "Bedroom Tapes" one the best.

"How many unreleased songs did you actually listen to?"

Most of the ones described, not including titles for which tapes have never been found.

"What were you hoping would be accomplished by publishing these two articles?"

To shed new light on Brian WIlson's activity during the period when he was thought to be largely inactive. Taken as isolated cuts on Beach Boys albums or the occassional outtake on boxed sets or bonus tracks, the notion of inactivity still feels correct. Taken as a body of work from a period of six years, it tells a different story.

"Have you been in contact with BRI, Inc. at all about this?"

Yes, I have. Not recently, however. The story is somewhat complicated, but I'll try to keep it simple. I got into "Smile" in the mid-'90s and wrote on many of the early internet mailing lists and message boards. I met collectors like Bob Hanes and Domenic Priore, befriended archivists like David Leaf and Alan Boyd. By the late '90s, I took a special liking to the handful of Brian Wilson cuts on '70s Beach Boys albums and some of the outtakes and started asking questions to see if there was anything more. I asked Priore and he said it was possible, as a number of demos had been bootlegged through the years. It was Priore who told me that Terry Melcher likened Brian Wilson to Aesop in the early-to-mid-'70s and so Domenic and I initially starting calling these unreleased BW works "The Aesop Tapes."

In 2001, I started filming a documentary about this whole era and interviewed a bunch of people on camera -- Stephen Kalinich, Blondie Chaplin, Steven Desper, Ricky Fataar, eight or so more. I then cut a trailer for the film. I spoke with Irving-Almo, who owns the publishing to Brian's catalog, and they were willing to license the songs for my film project. The problem was that much of what I wanted for the film was unpublished. I contacted Eliott Lott at BRI and got no answer on the unpublished Brian Wilson material. I contacted Jean Sievers, Brian's manager, as well, and heard crickets there. I changed directions and tried to get inside, which happened briefly with a few film projects and a few tour programmes, which I wrote for BriMel, always hoping to one day get to do the film on the "Aesop Tapes." I did get to interview Brian himself in 2003 for the Carl Wilson Foundation film and he answered several questions regarding "Mt. Vernon and Fairyway," as well as the "Aesop Tapes."

In 2009, I contacted a producer at the BBC and we worked for a year and a half to revive the concept of the documentary, which was renamed, "The Beach Boys: Lost at Sea" (their title, not mine). Both myself and BBC producer Jonty Claypole spoke with Elliott Lott of BRI, but we never procured a commitment from BRI to get the unpublished material needed for the BBC version of the film. Thus, it once again died on the vine. Honestly, I'd sort of buried the whole idea, until Ben Westoff of "L.A. Weekly" offered publish these two overviews of my concept. As we got going, I changed it from the "Aesop Tapes" to the "Bedroom Tapes," because, well, "Aesop" required some inside knowledge, but the name Brian Wilson seemed pretty much synonymous with "bedroom." It was just a cute title, based in Bob Dylan's "Basement Tapes." But I think it works.

Ok, here's a few questions...

Did he get to hear "Pa Let Her Go Out"? Was it the same track as "Better Get Back In Bed" but just with different lyrics? Or just a demo? And who sang lead?

I notice he wrote nothing about the whereabouts of a possible recording of "Pattycake". Any word on whether one exists?

For the section about "Brian's Jam" did he actually mean "Brian's Tune"? Because he states that "Brian's Jam" was recorded in Colorado, while both Alan Boyd and Andrew G. Doe have claimed it was done in California.

Did he get to hear "Funky Fever"? Because beyond the description of it as a "Spring outtake" there's really no info, which leads me to believe that song might be lost.

And lastly...

Did he get to hear the 1974 version of "Clangin'"? Because while the song is mentioned, I did notice there was no description. Only the stuff about Lennon, Dolenz, Brian and Nilsson, and then the bit about Dolenz having a tape of Brian and Harry jammin' on "Clangin'".

Anyways, it would be super, super awesome if he answered these for me!

Well, this is just an assumption on my part, but keep in mind that the songs were being rewritten with new lyrics supposedly, to make them more palatable for cover versions or something. So I would imagine there would be vocals on these tracks.

However, the interesting thing to me is weren't these supposed to be rewritten lyrics to the earlier stuff? Like "Don't Worry Baby" without the car references and such. Whereas it this project was more focused on the Friends album for whatever reason. Also very interesting that along with "Friends", "Passing By" and "Wake the World" was Dennis' "Be Still". Usually people don't associate Brian with even thinking about the other members songs, so this was interesting.

I definitely wouldn't rule it out vocals as a possibility, but I can't help but feel that if any of those tracks had a lead vocal by a Beach Boys, we would have at least heard about them long ago. I like Tandyn Almer and wouldn't object to hearing him sing some new lyrics over some trippy moogarama version of Wake the World, but if digital manipulation can get a 1968 Brian Wilson lead on something like that, my ears are at the ready.


I thought the same until I remembered American Spring did "Forever". That said, "Forever" is definitely a more commercial song than "Be Still", I wonder what they did with it...

I wrote Stan Shapiro yesterday and asked if he could tell me anything about the re-written Friends tracks. I'll let you know know what I find out  :)

 :bow :bow

Thank you Bubbly Waves for facilitating this Q&A. Some very interesting background in this first set of answers. Some insight into the deep and dark underbelly that is BRI.

I wonder if the alternate version of Till I Die is a version with the thought to be lost alternate lyrics?

My understanding is the alternate studio version is almost the same but with some minor lyrical differences like the I'll find my way.
The piano demo might feature the original lyrics if it was recorded prior to the proper recording sessions.

I sent him an email in response to his answers, and the response I got was a bit disheartening.


So, judging from the silence you've received from BRI, would you guess they're probably reluctant to release this stuff?

To your first question, Nothing thus far has led me to believe BRI or BriMel have any interest in releasing a Bedroom Tapes compilation.


He also had this to say:

I wanted to thread the tracklist into a larger narrative and give it some biographical scope. But maybe that's just because I still believe in print media. The editor at "L.A.Weekly" wanted a straight-up tracklist with descriptions, posted only to the blog, no print.

Ultimately, they won out, though I am at liberty to get the narrative article published elsewhere.

So, we may be seeing a more in-depth Bedroom Tapes article somewhere else at some other time.

I'll be sending out the other questions tomorrow for him to answer.

Thanks Bubbly Waves for this. Very interesting.

Not too surprising that BRI don`t want this stuff released.

BriMel doesn't either, so it's not all the Beach Boys fault.

Thanks Bubbly Waves, great stuff

Sad to hear we might no be hearing this stuff

Yeah, but shocking that BriMel doesn't. Very shocking. But there's still time. In a couple of years...

Thanks for working at this Bubbly.  Worth the effort.  I'd like to hear more about these tapes.

You're shocked Sheriff? I don't know, I'm not really. At first I did think this whole article was being backed by either BRI or BriMel, but I guess I was wrong. But if you look at this material honestly, there really isn't a whole lot of "there" there. I mean, a lot of the more interesting "Beach Boys centered" material would probably be issued on either reissues of the core albums or maybe a rarities comp like Hawthorne, CA or something. And by "Beach Boys centered" material I mean stuff like "Pa, Let Her Go Out" and also the alternate versions of "Whistle In", "I'd Love Just Once To See You", "All I Wanna Do" and the like.

Then you have the Brian demos and/or solo performances. What do we have available to choose from? I suppose you still got the second, goofier take of "California Feelin'" from 1974, "Lucy Jones", "Awake", "My Little Red Book", the 1975 version of "In the Back of My Mind" and so on. Now this would be a sensible release. If you collect a bunch of these together, maybe throw something previously released on there like the "Don't Talk" demo or "Surf's Up 1967", and put it together and market it nicely, I think it could work.

However, I don't think it would be very intelligent to throw unfinished/instrumental stuff like "Rooftop Harry", "Spark in the Dark" and "Brian's Jam" in the middle of a "Brian demos" type thing. Possibly these would be smart to use on a bonus disc to that set. That I could see working. Truthfully, this is why The Beach Boys need something like Dagger Records (Jimi Hendrix' sister Janie's label that issues material that likely doesn't warrant a full scale commercial release). You could put out albums of jams, backing tracks, and instrumentals for people like us, without confusing the average fan. It really would make sense. And hopefully soon they can figure something out.

That was probably the most surprising part for me. I assumed (and hoped) that these articles were the product of a marketing push to get this music out there.
I s'pose there is a small chance that a large reaction to these articles may catch the attention of BRI and plant the seed for a future release...

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/03/busy-doin-somethin-uncovering-brian-wilsons-lost-b.html (http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/03/busy-doin-somethin-uncovering-brian-wilsons-lost-b.html)

I suppose this is the longer article he planned on writing. There are some new, smaller details in it that I would post, but I'd rather sleep.

Yeah, I thought this material was on somebody's calendar to be released in a year or two.

Because of historical reasons, Brian Wilson being an important artist of 20th Century, there are some things here that have historical/artistic value. And, speaking of value, we're talking about The Beach Boys and Brian's wifeandmanagers here. If it can make money, it will eventually come out. I really believe that, in time, ALL of The Beach Boys' and Brian's work will be made available in some form. Not that that's a bad thing. As diehards, we love this stuff, we wanna hear it!

I would prefer a 2CD package in a single jewel case, with the songs sequenced chronologically, with an informative booklet of detailed notes, and a cool album cover. I think that would be a really nice listening experience.

They could also, in a couple of years when/if they decide to reissue the 1967-1973 albums, take a handful of tracks and use them as bonus cuts on the respective albums. It would make for a longer release and also entice fans like us who have numerous copies of the 1967-73 songs.

Maybe this will see release over the next 10 to 15 years because of that EU copyright thingy or whatever.

Moooooooooooooooooooore answeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers:


"Was there anything else of note at the Beach Boy archive that you visited?"

I only visited for two days in 2003. I took pictures of tapeboxes and Alan Boyd and I chose a few masters that we thought might be of interest for the Carl Wilson Foundation documentary. During that time, Gina Wilson, Carl's widow, sent back a few tapes that Carl had in his home at the time he passed. No one knows why Carl had them, but they were the 1974 demos of "California Feelin'" and "Lucy Jones." That was a total thrill.

"Did you notice a change in Brian's voice during the 1973/4 years?"

Not a significant change, no. I think his vocal on "California Feelin'" is poignant and youthful. That it was, according to Stephen Kalinich, just a poem that Brian improvised on the spot -- musically and vocally -- is pretty astonishing. Whatever he did right there, it became a useable melody for one of my favorite Beach Boys songs of the '70s.

"In your article, did you mean "Brian's Tune," and not "Brian's Jam"?

The description of "Brian's Jam" was correct, just not the location where it was recorded. "Brian's Jam" was recorded at Brother Studio in Santa Monica, while "Brian's Tune" was recorded at Caribou. The latter has dirty lyrics, which some know well from it having circulated amongst collectors. I actually had Alan Boyd, Andrew Doe and Craig Slowinski edit the article before it went out, but invariably things fall through the cracks. I suppose the nice thing about it being a blog, as opposed to print, is that I can go back and change things, which I did for "Brian's Jam." You can go to the website and see it corrected now.

"Have you heard either "Funky Fever" or the 1974 version of "Clangin'"?

No. My sources for each described what they heard and I took them to be reliable. As to "Clangin'," the person who described the Wilson/Nilsson tape was also able to clarify whether Wilson played on Dolenz's "Wing Walker" and/or "Purple People Eater," which BW did not.

"Do you have any more information about "Pattycake," "Song to God," "Just an Imitation," or "Is Jack Reiley Superman?"?

Just what I wrote. The BRI archivists will be the first to tell you that not every tape is at the Brother archive and that there are still master tapes to be gone through in Brother. Historically speaking, the Beach Boys still submitted AFM contracts for each session, even if they were held in Brian's home. The tape boxes have notes too, which, for the archivist, need to be compared to the AFM contract. Then the masters also need to be dubbed down and listened to for content and, once more, compared with what it on the AFM contract and the tape box. Very often, Brian Wilson demos come in between songs or at the end of tape boxes that don't say anything about what BW was noodling on, but there they are all the same. Comparing all that is a huge task. So I imagine we haven't heard everything.

"You said that you listened to 'most' of the tapes of those that were described. What's stopped you from listening to the other tapes that were available?"

Sometimes people who have tapes don't have devices to play them on, so the tapes collect dust. Sometimes they just choose not to share them with me. I, like any writer worth his salt, follow leads. You get a title, you see if there was an AFM contract. Then you see if there is a tape that has been found for that title. If there is, you want to listen to it. If you can't get access, you get the best description you can. Like any of you guys, when I hear a title, I'm excited. But it can take years of followup to actually confirm anything.

"Did the re-written Friends tracks have lead vocals? If so, by whom? How different were they from the originals?"

I don't know, because I've never heard them. Stanley Shapiro had several cassette dubs of the work he and Tandyn did with Brian, but he told me recently that they went missing a few years back. He thinks they were stolen, but having moved several times, they may just be misplaced. Being that they were earmarked for A&M, whom Shapiro was writing for at the time, I'd have a hard time believing that they weren't backed up elsewhere. I know that BRI, via Alan Boyd, offered to make digital copies for Shapiro a few years ago, but it never happened. It would be great if there could somehow be a "Bedroom Tapes" compilation project and all the interested parties could bring forth their tapes under the umbrella of amnesty and fair compensation. But, you know, this IS the Beach Boys we're talking about here.

"Did you heard "Pa, Let Her Go"? If so, how similar is it to "Better Get Back in Bed"? Same track with different lyrics? A demo? Also, who sang lead?"

They are the same multitrack master, just alternate lead vocal tracks on the 16 track master. Sounds like they may have been laid down at the same time. Carl sings both. Don't know the story behind that one. Were they both intended for the fairy tale? If so, maybe "Pa, Let Her Go Out" was another part of the narrative that got discarded? Who knows? Maybe these both pre-date the fairy tale and were considered as stand alone songs on "Holland"? Hard to say for certain. But they are the same backing track, different words.

"Do you remember what is different about the "I'd Love Just Once to See You" extended tag on the alternate mix? Perhaps louder vocals?"

I heard it over the phone, so the best I can say is that it has that circular, bouncy riff that was Brian's signature during the "Bedroom Tapes" period. Slightly manic, but hypnotic.

"Does the alternate take of "'Til I Die" have different lyrics?"

Yes.

He sent me another email a little afterwards:


I should also say, with regards to "Be Still," that though it was a Dennis/Kalinich song, BW was the one who played the organ on the session, according to the AFM contract. I was surprised when I heard that. But Stephen Kalinich told me years ago that the "Friends" album was a total Brian affair and that "Little Bird," in particular, was a "gift" to he (Stephen) and Dennis. Meaning that Brian didn't take a songwriter's credit. But also that BW pretty much produced the track. It seems, minimal as it is, that Wilson produced "Be Still," as well. In that way, it is pretty exciting to hear that BW might have tried to re-cut the album in a prime era for A&M production values. God, it could have been like another "Pet Sounds."

On a side note -- the excitement that you guys and so many others have had for my "Bedroom Tapes" articles has made it so that "L.A. Weekly" is now offering me the chance to get more granular on "Bedroom" era subjects. Next up will be an article on Kalinich's "A World of Peace Must Come." I'd also like to do short articles on the Wilson/Almer/Shapiro "Friends" project, as well as something on American Spring and the lost Fred Vail album that BW produced. If there are other articles you'd like to see, let me know. I can't say for sure they will get approved, because Beach Boys fandom does not always preclude the kind of audience that a big city newspaper requires. But I'm into keeping the momentum on this going. Thanks again for reaching out. I hope my answers are what you were looking for.

Hey thanks for getting an answer to my question. The guy must be a big fan himself going by the detailed responses coming back. Nice job!

I would love to see an article of this kind on American Spring.

Also, thanks for coordinating this informal Q&A thing.

Yes, Bubbly Waves, thank you! This is interesting stuff.

very interesting, if not all that surprising  :)

Can the author give any titles regarding the 1968 songs mentioned here: "Note: A few additional tracks from this era have been recently discovered, but not heard by this author." ? 

Surprised no one has mentioned this at all!!!

Hey bubbly, I wonder if he would be receptive to an invitation from you to check out this message board, or possibly join? I'm sure we'd all be honored if he would join us here in a discussion about his article, and general fandom.  ;D

Brian Chidester used to post here, more often when he was Domenic Priore's right hand.

Gee, must have made Dom feel good and still have a hand to do other stuff

I asked two other questions:


I know the 1970 version of "Walkin'" has Brian giving up on the lead, but does he finish the lead on the 1968 version? I have an odd affinity for this song.

There's no lead on the '68 version. It is the same backing track as the '70 version, only with horn parts. For some reason, the BBs replaced the horns with Brian Wilson vocals. The melody of the horns is, to be clear, the same melody as the BW vocal.

Do you have any info about those newly discovered Brian tunes from circa 1969? Like, how and where they were found and what they're like?

No clue yet.

Chidester use to post on ALL of the boards. Wouldn't be surprised if he's the author here. It's definitely somebody who use to post here that still has an account.

  
I'm a little confused. The article states that LA Weekly was "recently granted access" to nearly 60 titles in the Beach Boys archive on Vanowen Street which are described as "a newly unearthed musical treasure trove" ...but the author is now stating that he was only granted official access once in 2003. Correct?

he also states that he has heard "Most of the ones described, not including titles for which tapes have never been found."
the list of songs in the follow-up article total 56 titles. nearly 60, but several of those have already been released, and several others have reportedly never been found.

So how many still-unreleased 68-74 songs are in the archive on Vanowen Street?

 Maybe you'd be even less surprised if you actually read the articles and noted Brian Chidester was listed as the author?

tho light. tho BUTTERy. tho deliciouth.

Nope, didn't read the whole thing. Nice guess though, wasn't it board smart-ass?

So, it was Carl, in a roundabout away, that supplied the California Feelin' demo that ended up on the MIC box set. Very interesting. It's little revelations like this that remind us why this is and always will be the best source for Beach Boys information. It's also a poignant tribute to him that a recording from his personal collection was used for his band's project.   

Suspect we might have to allow for a little journalistic licence for the editor to justify putting the article out there. A 13-year-old limited listening experience wouldn't have sold the piece to as many readers so easily and we might not be discussing the stuff today otherwise.

I wonder if a publication such as ESQ for fans, or Record Collector, might be able to offer a placing for the extended article?

Back in the days of "Napster", Brian was one of the people who spoke out against it.  He basically said that as an artist, he doesn't want unfinished music out there that isn't the way he wants people to hear it (I guess he was talking about bootlegs being spread around on there).

so personally, I think he's pretty against releasing unreleased stuff.  Of course they've released all kinds of unreleased stuff over the years, but Brian hasn't really solo.  I think he reserves the right to keep stuff locked up, and rerecord it litearlly 30 years later or whatever.

It's called, poetic license.  Nobody's going to say "10 years ago, I got to hear a bunch of songs that you can find on bootlegs floating around the internet, and a few pretty unconsequential ones that weren't even good enough to get bootlegged"

Instead you get "Recently unearthed a treasure trove of 60 unreleased gems from the genius Brian Wilson"

I think Brian can be, um....influenced to release the stuff. No re-recording is necessary, but, since you mentioned re-recording, if there was ever an artist who would be open or, again, influenced to re-record material, Brian is our boy!

I was just writing something similar... The last time I was in L.A. I got to spend an evening with Alan Boyd, and he allowed me to put on a pair of headphones and listen to digital reference files of a number of tracks -- including some of those described here.  Not a unique occurrence for folks who have spent years collecting, researching, and writing about the Beach Boys, and who know Alan well.  

So you could say I was also "recently granted access to selections from the Beach Boys' unreleased catalog stored at Vanowen Street."  The imagery of walking into a room with walls of master tapes, and a Studer 2-track, a Scully 4-track, a 3M 8-track, an Ampex 16-track, a mixing console, a McIntosh tube preamp/amp, Advent studio monitors, and a tape engineer at one's disposal is just that -- imagery.  But that imagery makes for a much better print article than "I got to listen to FLAC files of a bunch of songs on a laptop."  Just sayin'...

Lee

It's called bad journalism. Poetic license didn't used to be okay, but I guess it is for the Internet age.

Ahh, time is relative. What's a few years in the overall scheme of things?

Question for the author, since I couldn't get a response in another thread:

Regarding "Our Happy Home" and  "You're As Cool As Can Be," do either of these titles refer to the track "Unknown Instrumental (Rehearsals)" on Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 20 - Friends, 20/20, and Odds & Ends??? The description in the article of Happy Home could apply to this track...

Or perhaps someone on the board has another title for this short instrumental...

"Was there anything else of note at the Beach Boy archive that you visited?"

I only visited for two days in 2003. I took pictures of tapeboxes and Alan Boyd and I chose a few masters that we thought might be of interest for the Carl Wilson Foundation documentary. During that time, Gina Wilson, Carl's widow, sent back a few tapes that Carl had in his home at the time he passed. No one knows why Carl had them, but they were the 1974 demos of "California Feelin'" and "Lucy Jones." That was a total thrill.


and...

L.A. Weekly recently was granted access to many of these never-before-heard tapes from 1968 to 1974 — almost 60 titles in all — currently stored at the Beach Boys' archive on Vanowen Street, near Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

The question of 'anything else of note' was mine and although I have no idea, both above statements could be correct. I read it to be yes, he went to the facility with Alan Boyd on a CWF related visit only, however subsequently he was entrusted to hear some of the tapes in that facility (the bedroom tapes) only years later.

Hey Bubbly, I don't know if you are still in contact with Mr. Chidester, but if you are, I still have a few questions, so.....

Did you hear "Lucy Jones"? If you did, does Brian sing a substantial part of the lead, or is it mostly Stephen Kalinich? Also, what's the vibe of it? More '"oldie"-ish?

About how long was "Pa, Let Her Go Out"? Was it just a miniature little section, or a few minutes long? Enough to be considered a "song"?

The version of "Our Sweet Love" with the "solo vocals" by Brian is just the version with him at the end right? Not actually singing any kinda lead, right?

I know the tape is missing, but do you have any confirmation that "Gimme, Gimme Good Lovin'" is just another name for "Gimme Some Lovin'"? And also while we're at it, did you interview David Sandler at all for all of this? I'm sure he'd be pretty helpful on all of this stuff.

I'll be sure to ask him your questions.

I was in contact with him yesterday, asking about the "Untitled Instrumental" on UM 20 (superunison's question).
I haven't got a response about it yet, but when he responds, I'll send him your questions.

Thank you so much.  You've really done quite a service for the board in communicating with Mr. Chidester.

I have a question for the author as well: If you recall, did you find anything noteworthy regarding Brian's seemingly new-found interest in, emphasis on, and shift towards composing on analogue synthesizers during this period that these tapes might shed light upon?

It seems to me it was around the time they began recording what would eventually be reconfigured for release into Sunflower that Brian had already been experimenting with synthesizers and having them -- rather than keyboards -- be the bedrock for his tracks with increased frequency. I find that shift just as interesting as when he began composing primarily on keyboards rather than guitars (The Beach Boys Today! seems to be where this was most obviously introduced sonically). Any further info about this kind of stuff would be very interesting to hear about should there be anything worth mentioning!

I also wonder if he could shed any light on what A Day In The Life Of A Tree sung by Dennis would sound like. Was his lead vocal on it the "unique factor" of it? Or was the recording of the entire song itself significantly different to what ended up being released on the Surf's Up album?

I find your question interesting about the synthesizers, but about the composing being done on "primarily guitars" earlier, I don't think that is true. I'm pretty sure Brian nearly always composed primarily on the keyboard. Although apparently "Melt Away" grew out of a bass line or something, and supposedly some early stuff.

Ah, well, I am assuming that their early songs sound a lot more guitar-driven until you get to Today!... where the shift in emphasis (maybe that's more what I'm getting at than his composing on or for) is much more obviously a keyboard-based sound rather than focusing on guitars per se.

That I agree with. A lot of the earlier things were more "guitar rock" whereas a lot of the stuff from like 1965 and after really weren't.

not according to his description:

"Our Sweet Love" (early version)  - Wilson's early version of this tender Sunflower ballad features his own solo vocals over a basic piano and drum track, which brother Carl Wilson later fleshed out by adding strings and harmony vocals.

I do believe that this is referring to the version that has appeared on collector's tapes (and the "Get the B**t" compilation) -- which has piano, drums, bass, and a very minimalist string quartet arrangement, along with Brian's wordless scatting vocals and oohs from beginning to end, and Brian's alternate "Love you baby, and I can tell you that-a our sweet love is, just like-a honey our sweet loooove" lead vocal on the ending.  Chidester never refers to a complete Brian lead vocal, just "solo vocals" -- which this version has plenty of.  Carl would later take this, and add his lead vocal, group harmonies, more strings, guitar, and percussion, to finish it off -- and in the process also bury most of Brian's vocals in the mix.

Lee

Right! And I find that fascinating, both that original shift from guitar to keyboards as well as the second shift from keyboards to synthesizers. I actually find the latter far more interesting than the former, to be honest. (And around this time he became enamoured with synthesizers, he also began to use drum machines rather than live drums as well, I believe?) These are the sorts of things I would like to hear Brian Wilson consider and discuss at length. To hear his motivating thoughts for the initial change, the process by which he built tracks around this new-to-him technology, and so on. It's interesting as well that the albums with probably the least amount of involvement from Brian Wilson during the '70s -- Carl And The Passions: "So Tough" and Holland -- are also more or less the most guitar-oriented albums The Beach Boys had released since 1964, and once Brian was "back"... 15 Big Ones and Love You!

Sorry for the delay guys, Mr. Chidester has been a bit busy lately (including writing an American Spring article). Anyway, he finally had the time to answer some questions.
And here those answers are:

If you recall, did you find anything noteworthy regarding Brian's seemingly new-found interest in, emphasis on, and shift towards composing on analogue synthesizers during this period that these tapes might shed light upon?

That's an excellent question. Obviously, there is Chamberlin and Moog present on select tracks from the era that were written by BW or produced by him, most heavily on the American Spring album, the fairy tale and "Funky Pretty." There also seems to be some minor snyth flourishes on BW's production of the Stephen Kalinich album too. However, I've been hoping more Moog experiments would've popped up by now. Alas, there hasn't been much. Carl Wilson, Stephen Desper and David Sandler all had more of an interest in the Moog than Brian did, though it seems they programmed the synthesizer and sat Brian down in front of it hoping for enthusiasm.

Also, I should note that 1973 is a particularly barren year for BW songs. Besides a few Spring sessions, maybe "Patty Cake" (which has not been heard) and the "Second Fairy Tale," there really isn't much BW music laid to tape. It kind of puts a kink in my theory that he was more active than his reclusive reputation would allow. 1973 may, in fact, be the year that Terry Melcher and Bruce Johnston most remember when they compared Brian to Aesop, lumbering down with a new song on the piano, only for it to disappear back upstairs as soon as he left. The more I seek this stuff out, the more I find that 1973 was truly a reclusive year for Brian..

Did you hear "Lucy Jones"? Does Brian sing a substantial part of the lead, or is it mostly Stephen Kalinich? Also, what's the vibe of it? More "oldie"-ish?

Yes, a basic rocker. I heard it once in 2003. Kalinich is heavy on it, though BW does share the lead with him. Vocally, it's close to the little vocal duet that SK and BW do on the intro to "A World of Peace Must Come," the album. Stephen emotes a little more, thus overpowering Wilson at times on "Lucy Jones," plus the bridge is all Stephen singing.

About how long was "Pa, Let Her Go Out"? Was it just a miniature little section, or a few minutes long? Enough to be considered a "song"?

It's the same track as "Better Get Back in Bed," just different lyrics. It's a mostly instrumental song, of which a little segment was spliced into the fairy tale 45.

I know the tape is missing, but do you have any confirmation that "Gimme, Gimme Good Lovin'" is just another name for "Gimme Some Lovin'"?

I interviewed David Sandler in 2007 when I was completing my book, "Pop Surf Culture" and we talked about several Spring outtakes and other impressions of working with BW. He told me "GGGL" was not a cover of the Spencer Davis Group hit. I asked Andrew Doe about it last week and he said Marilyn Wilson told him that it WAS the Spencer Davis song. I suppose until we hear it, we won't know for certain.

For the "Our Sweet Love" demo, does Brian deliver a full lead vocal? Or is it just reserved to the few lines that appeared on the Sunflower version? Also, is it stylistically similar to "Where Is She?"?

No, just the backing vocals over piano. I can't remember if I called it a demo in any of my "Bedroom Tapes" articles. If I did, that was a mistake. It more sounds like a basic session to me, which was later overdubbed with work by Carl and Steve Desper.

Do you remember what the alternate lyrics to "'Till I Die" are? Also, is it the actual verses or Brian's parts that differ lyrically on the alternate version?

Besides the line "I'll find my way," I don't remember.