The Smiley Smile Message Board

It is well known that Brian Wilson and the BBs have been using session musicians since 1964. In 1964 and 1965, about half of the material was played by the Wrecking Crew, and half was played by the BBs themselves (Usually Carl- Guitar, Alan- Guitar or Bass, Denny- Drums, Brian-Keys or Bass, Bruce- Keys or Bass). By 1966, for the Pet Sounds album, the "crew" played almost all of the tracks, however Carl would often play guitar with them. But by the Wild Honey Era, the BBs became more of a band again. Although by 1976, when the group was working on 15 Big Ones, Brian brought the Wrecking Crew back to record with the BBs.

When was the last time the BBs recorded a song with little to no, session musician involvement? A record where they play the track. Brian played all the instruments on Love You, and MIU was heavy on session musicians. Could it have been the LA/Keepin The Summer Alive era?

Brian didn't play all the instruments on Love You.

"Endless Harmony" on KTSA.  It is the whole group (including Dennis) plus Scott Matthews, I believe.

Who played bass on it?

Al.

I am going off session information someone else posted quite a while ago (possibly C-Man), so I can't vouch for it myself, but I remember it was a trusted source.  IIRC it was Al on bass, Carl on guitar, Brian on piano, Bruce on Rhodes, Dennis on percussion (I assume the wind chimes at the end) and Scott Matthews on drums.  Basically the late '60s recording incarnation of the band.

OK, he didn't play ALL of the instruments, but he did play MOST.
Carl did play some guitars and Denny played drums. But most of the songs featured Brian playing synthesizers, organs, and (minimalistic) drums.

The previous year, actually.

Well, as it turns out, the AFM documentation for this one can't be taken entirely at face value. It seems that the song titles and personnel listed on the contract in question are sourced from an amalgamation of data from two separate sessions (11/10 and 11/13) at two separate studios (Jardine's Barn and Rumbo) for two different songs (ENDLESS HARMONY and GOIN' TO THE BEACH). All of the personnel listed were at least present at one or both sessions. In Dennis' case, it appears he was not actually at the first of the two, only the second. And it appears that Carl, Al, and Brian only played on GOIN' TO THE BEACH, not ENDLESS HARMONY (Bruce played on both, while Al played guitar and Carl played bass AND guitar on GOIN' TO THE BEACH). And it appears Dennis made a half-hearted attempt to replace the already-recorded drums on GOIN' TO THE BEACH at the 11/13 Rumbo session, but wasn't really into it, and so was dismissed from the session. As to whether he actually added a percussion overdub to ENDLESS HARMONY at the same session, it now appears that he did not.

Fascinating.  So now I want to know, C-Man, what WAS the last track the band played on more or less as a band?  Was Dennis on Santa Ana Winds?

If so, only vocally (which, although I can't say for sure, I do think I hear his voice on it - listen to, I think it's the second chorus, and there's a response part where there's a voice that sounds just like him - and if that part was recorded at Criteria like some of the vocals in the released version definitely were, then would explain it).

I would think the answer to the question of the last time they cut a backing track together would depend on who you include...without Dennis, the others did "It's A Beautiful Day". Before that, probably a few things from the Love You era, but I don't think Al played on those. Interestingly, although Dennis plays on the majority of 15 Big Ones tracks and outtakes, in at least several cases he overdubbed his drums after the basic track was laid down with a click ("Rock And Roll Music", "Had To Phone Ya", "Just Once In My Life", "Everyone's In Love With You", "Come Go With Me"). However, on "Honkin' Down The Highway" and "The Night Was So Young" from the Love You era, at least, he drummed on the basic track (his count-in his evident on the rough mixes for those two songs).

That's true, he used Steve Douglas and Hal Blaine, among others, since the Surfer Girl album…
But I'm talking about songs where session musicians played everything on the tracks, not just additional instrumentation (Pom Pom Play Girl was the first I believe…)

Hmm...you mean the final chorus?  The recurring "fire deep inside" is Carl; there's a faint "wo-oh-hoh" on the second go round which I believe is Brian.  

The only thing I hear that sounds like Dennis is a low "blow" at the end, but given the way the rest of the track is structured, I think it's just an auditory illusion.  BTW, sounds like it might be Al and not Mike on the chorus bass vocal, which I never noticed before.

The main chorus vocal sounds like a straight three part, and tonally it sounds like Carl, Brian and probably Al.  The yucky processing on the vocal and the fact that it's all panned center really makes it hard to tell what's going on.  There may be some Carl solo multitracking for a layer in there somewhere, too - the first chorus sounds ever so slightly different than the ones that follow, like there's an added layer of the same harmony coming later.  But given Mike and Bruce's presence on the verses, seems like everybody BUT Dennis is on there for sure.

Actually, "PPPG" was just the Boys, instrumentally and vocally. "WDFFIL", on the other hand, was the WC all the way (instrumentally-speaking). But so was "BTTYS" (single version), aside from a guitar overdub by Carl.

Yes, at 2:37. Probably is Brian.

WHOOPS. You're right. PPPG is Carl's first lead vocal and WDFFIL was the first time Brian used the WC on an album. BTTYS (Single) he had the WC play on, but it wasn't issued on any studio albums. So, if I'm not mistaken, the BBs play on the Little Deuce Coupe version of BTTYS, right?

Speaking of the single version of Be True To Your School, I wonder if the multis still exist.  It would be awesome to hear the track in stereo, or the backing track by itself.

Definitely! I've always wanted to hear that!

Apparently, they do not. No session tape, and no AFM contract, so no way to know for sure who plays on it. But aural evidence screams "WRECKING CREW!"

So who actually played on the released "Goin' To The Beach"? Carl on guitar, Al on bass (?), Brian on piano (?) and who else? Scott Matthews on drums? And Scott Totten on guitar as well, from 2013 (?) sessions?

Also, this means Dennis wasn't on KTSA at all then?

Well, Dennis might have been on "When Girls Get Together..."

Yes, that's the word from Desper. The big bass drum, I'd gather.

Carl: bass and guitar / Al: guitar / Bruce: tack piano / Brian: organ / Scott Mathews: drums and bass / John Hobbs: pianos / Scott Totten: guitars (added in 2013)

Okay, so what does that leave as the last time Dennis actually drummed for the Boys?  Not counting resurrected old tracks or the ones he did for Bambu...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

That was released at the time ?  Right now, looking like something from Love You. Corrections welcomed.

I don't know, but if I had to guess (and I'm hopeful someone will come in and confirm or deny) that Dennis played drums on "Good Timin'", "Shortenin' Bread" and perhaps "Lady Lynda" (though it doesn't sound like his style) on L.A., and "My Diane" on M.I.U.  They're all released after LOVE YOU, do any of the drum sessions date from after LOVE YOU?

Actually as I think about it both "Angel Come Home" and "Love Surrounds Me" sound very Dennis drum-wise (particularly "Angel").  There's actually a timing error on the drums on "Angel" towards the end of the track that they covered with overdubs.

Bobby F. drummed on "Angel", "LSM" and "LL". It's Dennis on "Good Timin'", "Shortenin' Bread", and a small overdub on "LSM". Plus "My Diane", "Hey Little Tomboy", "Come Go With Me" and "Peggy Sue" from the previous album. He drummed at an early KTSA session, for "Johnny B. Goode" and an attempt at "Oh Darlin'". But probably the last time he drummed in the studio for a potential BBs release was "Stevie".

Are you referring to the early (booted) version of Oh Darlin' with Brian vocal? Or some other previous and rejected unheard version?
Man, I love the drum sound on Stevie. It's got a hint of the POB drum sound.

Cool! I'm assuming the "Good Timin'", "Shortenin' Bread", "Tomboy", "Come Go" and "Peggy Sue" drum tracks date from the earlier sessions on those songs?  And even "My Diane" had its basic track in the can by late '76.  Which would mean that aside from leftover stuff and donated solo tracks, he basically stopped bothering to drum for them after the September '77 bust-up  (And they'd only done a little recording as a band throughout '77 before then.)

That makes his cameo appearance at the KTSA session (and "Stevie") even more remarkable!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

No, that's actually a Gary Mallaber drum performance, which in turn was replaced by a new Scott Mathews' performance on the released mix (just as Brian's lead vocal was replaced by Carl's). The day before that master take was cut (at the end of the "Johnny B. Goode" session), Brian, Carl and Dennis had a go at a basic track for "Oh Darlin'", but Dennis' drumming was subpar, so they gave up. Not sure why they didn't just record to a click track and add Dennis' drumming later. At any rate, the next day, they were back with Mallaber, but without Dennis.

Yes. While at MIU, it appears Dennis attempted to replace Mike Kowalski's drums on the already-recorded "She's Got Rhythm" (maybe the idea was for him to do this on all the tracks they had cut there so far, thus making them more of a group effort), but that idea was quickly abandoned.

I'm not sure Dennis "stopped bothering" to drum for the BBs in the studio as much as they stopped inviting him to do so, as his condition (and professionalism) continued to deteriorate.

It's too bad, because I love all the Wilson Brothers basics from '75-'77.  Just masters of underplaying, just the fundamentals, thick as a pound cake.

Thanks for very interesting and insightful (and sad) information.