The Smiley Smile Message Board

I had heard that a new mix of San Miguel was prepared for Keepin the Summer Alive.  Was this the mix that was included on the original vinyl issue of TEN YEARS OF HARMONY?

This is the first I've heard of this. Is the mix you mention different than that on the 93 boxed set?

where'd you hear this?

<<where'd you hear this?>>

I can't honestly say.  Don't recall.  May have read it here or in another book.  But I did read it somewhere.  And the version on Ten Years of Harmony sounds a bit different than the one I heard on a Landlocked boot, which sounded much cleaner, must crisper, with better stereo separation.

I've heard that it was considered for the album; don't know if that equals "new mix."

I’ve always been curious about how much (and what sort of) consideration was given to these weird alternate tracks for KTSA. There is also the weird idea (thankfully abandoned) to simply lease back “The Lord’s Prayer” from Capitol to put on the album. They also considered “Can’t Wait Too Long” apparently.

It wouldn’t be surprising if they did another mix of “San Miguel” if they were considering it (equally possible of course is that they only considered it and nothing more). Wasn’t there a mix of “When Girls Get Together” labeled as a “15 Big Ones Mix” from that tracklisting of potential Brother bonus tracks? In other words, there was previous precedent for considering an “older” song and doing a new mix, only later to ditch the idea.

As I recall, the concept for KTSA was for the band to be celebrating their past and future... with lots of new songs, some rarities from the past, etc.  I believe Bruce was the one pushing for The Lord's Prayer.  And he insisted When Girls Get Together be included on the album, after hearing the track when going through older material in the vault and falling in love with it.

San Miguel was pulled for MIU and remixed. Then pulled again for KTSA. The version Carl used mastering TYOH was the remixed one. When they were working on LA in 1978, Bruce said the following:

"Guercio wants to open the album with “Rock Plymouth Rock/Roll” and end with “Been Way Too Long”. "

<<San Miguel was pulled for MIU and remixed. Then pulled again for KTSA. The version Carl used mastering TYOH was the remixed one.>>

That's what I was thinking of.  I knew I'd read that it was remixed... for MIU, then.  Got it.  Thanks! I remember the interview about the Smile tracks for LA in Pet Sounds magazine.

<<end with “Been Way Too Long”. ">>

Thanks!  As far as I know, there have been two official versions of this released... an edit for the Wild Honey/Smiley Smile two-fer and an edit for the Good Vibrations box set.  Plus snippets on Hawthorne and the MIC collection.

Have any of these versions been taken from the version prepared for KTSA?

I thought The Lord's Prayer was only slotted for Reverberation.

Not sure about that one, but I recall it was bandied about for KTSA. I wanna say it's mentioned in AGD's "ComGuide", but I'm not 100% sure.

I remember thinking it was weird on top of everything else because Bruce isn't even on that old recording, yet he was producing the album and considering the track. Using a 17-year-old track on a new album is kinda odd to begin with, especially a track already officially released 17 years ago!

Never heard that about San Miguel, but it would have improved the album tremendously, even though it's far from my favourite DW song.

We could have had Keepin' the Summer On Life Support. The cover was already halfway there.

What a weird, and already not cohesive hodgepodge album KTSA already is, let alone what it might have wound up as.

I wonder what Dennis felt about San Miguel being considered for both MIU and KTSA. Such a killer track. Was he all for it?

COMMENT:  I have made dozens of mixes of San Miguel, but 12 mixes were completed and finished to the point of being labeled "Master" -- and placed in the vault.  All of them will be part of a study-video about San Miguel when I get around to making it.  It's a relatively easy song to mix. Some of you who went to the "Busy Doin' Nothing" convention some years ago did have the chance to "mix" San Miguel for yourself ... if you recall the little mixing board I set up in the corner of that hall. To get an answer to your question about TEN YEARS OF HARMONY, I suggest you ask Alan Boyd on his thread.   ~swd

Thank you, Mr. Desper! 

Super awesome. Thank you again.

I know I have said it before, but it bares repeating. THANK YOU THANK YOU Steve for answering these questions. It is SO nice to have someone who knows hands on about this music. So many would just kind of blow by and say forget it.

COMMENT:  Thank you for your words of kindness. It was my pleasure and privilege to work with the great talents embodied in the singing group The Beach Boys. As a fellow fan, I am honored to be able to bring my perspective of their the history to other fans and hope we all never forget the heart felt feelings which we experience when listening to their musical creations. ~swd

Steve, I put this under another section but I can just put it here as well since THIS is the thread you are commenting on (dummy me!).

I know you have written extensively about these sessions in your book, but, I was just wondering an overall question. SO SO many writings on the Surf's Up track make it sound like it was a monumental undertaking to get this done technically. I would have thought that just transferring the old 4 track backing track up to a 16 track then recording the lead vocals would have started the process. But interviews with Jack R. (RIP) and others say that Carl spent night after night after night just trying to "find" the first part. Was he looking for something that wasn't found, or just kind of trolling thru the tapes?

COMMENT:    It's all in the book which you will just have to wait on. ~swd

Thank you for that. Can't wait!!!!

Why do people say " Can't Wait" when they know they have to wait?

Isn't there a later 70s remake of San Miguel? I'm sure I've heard a different backing track. Was this a Dennis solo recording session?

Well, he incorporated those between-verse modulations in "Time For Bed" (from Bambu.

thats what I was saying, the light album and ktsa were hodgepodge/collection albums, not proper albums like sunflower, summer days, etc.

<<thats what I was saying, the light album and ktsa were hodgepodge/collection albums, not proper albums like sunflower, summer days, etc.>>

Once again, wrong on the money.

If we're going to get giving the Beach Boys sh*t for recycling older material on new albums, we're gonna have to criticize every album from Little Deuce Coupe onward for the most part.