The Smiley Smile Message Board

Question:

Starting from Sunflower, which  tracks feature them playing most of the tracks themselves? I know Susie Cincinatti is one, and of course Love You, but what else?

really? love you? i thought that mostly brian...even on drums and synth

Carl plays some guitar, so I guess that counts :lol

Surf's Up, CATP & Holland are almost exclusively played by the core band.

And In Concert, of course.  ;)

Thereafter the sidesmen proliferate. Except on Love You.

15 Big Ones features a large contribution from BB's on instruments too.

Really?! Wow...the improvement is phenomenal.

And MIU, which is mostly the core stage band of the time. 

That's because by the point of the last two-mentioned albums, the core band included Ricky Fataar & Blondie Chaplin, two musicians of great talent.

After 20/20, with the exception of the 1976 sessions (15BO and Love You), did Dennis play drums on any Beach Boys' albums?

Sure, but not as much.  Like, he's drumming on "Student Demonstration Time", and probably "Long Promised Road" and I think "Got To Know The Woman" and "When Girls Get Together" (some overdubs over the basic track on these last two).  Also, "Child Of Winter", "Good Timin'", "Shortenin' Bread", "Love Surrounds Me", and maybe the drum roll on "Baby Blue".  Desper says he played bongos on "Cool Cool Water".  I think that's about it, but there might be some others scattered throughout.

Craig

Is that Dennis? I hope not, cause that's probably the most boring drum track ever recorded... It sounds almost like one of those pre-recorded rhythms in a cheap toy keyboard.

So do most of the other BBs drums from the late 70s onward. Of course, some of them basically were just that (albeit from EXPENSIVE keyboards).

Although Bruce did a very handy note on the BBB a while ago giving the musicians on Disney Girls - which was largely session men other than (I think) himself and Carl. Could be slightly wrong on that - wish I'd kept the response - though it wouldn't surprise me if someone else here has! The drummer certainly wasn't Dennis though. I remember that much!

Obviously there are a number of other players credited on Holland (Tony Martin doing the guitar solo on Steamboat for instance). One suspects Dennis's tracks on CATP had very little BB involvement other than vocally.

Lowell George once claimed to have played on something around 71-73. Anyone know what? I used to think he was on Mess of Help but the solo would probably have been better if he was.....

Yes, I wish you'd kept the Disney Girls response too...

Dennis is credited with "percussion" on Endless Harmony.

Is that him drumming on "Love Surrounds Me" and "Angel Come Home"?

Bobby Figueroa on "Angel", probably Dennis on "LSM"...Ed Roach recalled helping Dennis set up some drums in the hallway at the studio for that song.  Bobby's webiste says he's on the song too, but I would think he's probably doing the timbales at the end.

Have no fear...I did:

"Disney Girls".......
Dennis Dragon on drums......Ed Carter on acoustic and electric guitar(s)........Bruce Johnston on upright piano, moog bass, and mandolin on intro.....Kathy Dragon on flute in the bridge......The Beach Boys backing vocals......Steve Desper engineer. Track and vocals recorded and mixed on 16 track at Brian's home studio.

Bruce Johnston
Santa Barbara
January 22, 2005

Thanks Craig.  There were almost more Dragons than Wilsons in the Beach Boys at one point, huh?  Haha.  Kathy Dragon, interesting.

Yeah...it's also interesting that Bruce himself strummed the mandolin on the intro to this song.