The Smiley Smile Message Board

On AGD's website under the Surfer Girl sessions (ie 16 July, 1963 - the session where they recorded reportedly 10 songs) AGD states:

       [Note: That the band could record so many songs from scratch in a single
       three-hour session is highly unlikely - David Marks remembers at least two of
       the Surfer Girl tracks being recorded at other studios (e.g. "The Rocking
       Surfer" at Wentzell's in Downey), and also that Alan appeared on some of the
       Surfer Girl tracks listed but not others: he plays bass on "Boogie Woodie",
       "Surfer's Rule" & "Catch A Wave" and sings on "In My Room". That Alan
       would sit in the corridor for half a session is about as likely as ten songs being
       recorded in one go. However, definitive information as to the actual dates is
       lacking. The best guess is that there were four seperate sessions: four songs
       with Alan on board, four (or five) songs without Alan, the Downey session and
       the two tracks with Hal Blaine present. The 9/2 session for Little Deuce Coupe
       is similarly questionable, as David remembers some of the titles, but not others.]

But I was wondering that maby some of these songs that were listed as being recorded on this day could they have been just vocal sessions (for some anyway - obviously not the instrumentals). I mean it IS possible isnt it, after all (as I just posted on another thread) The Surfer Moon track Im assuming was already recorded for Bob & Sheri and is the same one used by The Beach Boys, so if this song WAS recorded that day, then it wasnt a tracking session but rather a vocal session. I still find it hard to believe though that there was THIS many songs recorded in one day, but im sure the band could have knocked off the vocals pretty fast. What does everyone else think?

The Bob and Sherri track is different musically.

Thanks for that MBE. As I said Ive never heard it so I was unsure. What is different about is musically?

It is pretty basic instrumentation, just guitar, bass, and it may even be lacking drums (I'm going off the top of my head here).  It has no strings, though it does have some "nighttime" cricket chirping sound effects at the beginning.

In 1963, the band were still, with a few exceptions, cutting tracks and vocals at the same session. David doesn't remember any such mega-session - the reverse, in fact. Allowing for breakdowns, setting up and general faffing around, the recording of vocals for eight tracks in three hours seems hugely unlikely. The best guess - and it is just a guess - is that this is the date the masters were logged in at Capitol, two months before the album was released.

Thanks Andrew, your guess is probably as close as were going to get so I will settle for that. I was just wondering though, If this is true (that it was in fact recorded in several sessions - which I agree is most likely) then why isnt there session sheets (I think their called AFM sheets??) for those days, I mean doesnt Capitol want all that recorded so that they know who was using what equipment (in case it is damaged or whatever) as well as who needs to be payed etc.. like wouldnt they sort of have to file all these session dates correctly? Is it possible then that there IS AFM sheets for these smaller sessions, but just nobody has come across them (very unlikely) or they were lost or something?

In theory, there have to be AFM sheets for all recording sessions, if only to enable the musicians to be paid correctly, and for the studio to be paid for their time. It's possible that the 'missing' sheets are only 'missing' because we've not got hold of copies yet. The offices of Local 47 should have the top copies, but it's a sad fact that some are definitely missing, most likely through accidental loss (although some would prefer to think that over-enthusiastic fans have stolen them, something I was accused of). I'm trying to get in touch with Russ Wapensky to find out what happened to the book and what it would have contained.