The Smiley Smile Message Board

I'm sure there was a topic recently about this but I can't find it so apologies for starting a new one.

I just downloaded a selection of Love You/Adult Child piano demos and also the Cocaine Sessions. I had downloaded the CS before but never got past the first track, thinking it was of no interest to me, but there is something really compelling about hearing Brian play some of his incredible compositions on the piano. I love his playing style, the fumbles he does. In some cases, especially with the Love You/Adult Child demos, I feel that they are more moving than the finished productions. Airplane is stunning, as is I'll Bet He's Nice and Still I dream of It especially.

Anyway my question is, what BW piano demos have been booted? I'm interested in Pet Sounds and beyond. I would love to make a comp of just BW and piano. The only demos I'm aware of are:

Pet Sounds:
Don't Talk
Untitled Piano Intermezzo (not a demo as such but just curious - is this an original BW composition?)

Smile:
Heroes & Villains Humble Harv demo
Vegetables Cornucopia version
Surf's Up

Love You/Adult Child:
That Special Feeling
It's Over Now
They're Marching Along
Still I dream of It
My Diane
Love Is A Woman
Airplane
let's Put Our Hearts Together
I'll bet He's Nice
I'm Bugged at my Old Man

Erm, that's all I know of. There must be more piano demos that I'm not aware of, or maybe not?

There are the "hotel tapes," which aren't demos but are recordings of Brian playing through a bunch of old (and I think maybe some then-new) songs. I forget who is present: Bruce Johnston, John Stamos ... I don't recall who else. Not good quality, but pretty funny, especially as Bruce keeps trying to show a clearly uninterested--or at least easily distracted--Brian a new part the Beach Boys have added to "Caroline No."

Thanks Luther, I hadn't heard of those. Will search them out ...

That reminds me, isn't there a recording of Brian playing Fairy Tale music on a piano?

Yes but the tape is really crappy sounding.

There's some BW solo demos from 1983 and 1985 going around, these are quite good.

From 1983 there's Black Widow, Up In The Sky (aka There's So Many), Little Children, and In The Night Time. These were sort of bare-bones studio recordings, with drum machines and organs with piano.

From 1985 there's Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel, Sweetie, Reins, and Walkin' On Water. These are pretty dire, and Reins is damn near indecipherable.

Does anyone know what the one where Brian sings "daddy do, daddy do, is the world really round...if children could fly, there'd be no need for birds" is called? The version I have of it has an abrupt edit at the end of that song then goes into Brian playing a demo of the Sunflower outtake "Walkin'".

Hot damn, Black Widow is a friggin' great tune.  Love the drum machine on the demo version too.  "Can't take it no more / Can't take it NOOOOOOOO more!  / The little things...that mean so much...to mEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  Wish this had made the 2000 BW reissue.

That's "Daddy Dear". Its an old French song.

So it has nothing to do with the Holland album? The mp3 I have of that song was tagged as "Brian in Holland" when I first downloaded it.

Awhile back there was a general consensus on one of the boards that it's actually Al, not Brian, singing that.  Someone even thought it might be Carl.  I myself haven't made up my mind one way or another.

Said "Brian piano demo" was recorded in Holland on a recorder loaned to Brian by a fan.

It's Al.

There's also an "alternate" Lazy Lizzie where Brian starts doing the Pied Piper thing again (where the  LL melody originated from) before going back into the other song.

We're gonna start this debate again? It's NOT Al, its Brian...I'm 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999% sure of it (leaving that one bit just in case its Carl ya know? gotta cover your grounds...) as I've listened to it a billion times and even cleaned the piece up as much as possible. The way the person talks, sings, and plays is all Brian.

I'm with you Jonas, and anyone else who says it's Brian. But then again, I have always thought the GV early version with Asher's lyrics was Carl but that's Brian. And even the GOK (Brian lead vocal) from the PS Sessions Box sounds a lot like Carl in some places to my ears... So I suppose that means I wouldn't know would I?

Well, we know that Al can sound a lot like Brian singing, which shows that it IS possible that its him. But go beyond that, the way he talks, the insecurity, the uncertainty in his voice...its just not Alan. Alan had no reason to sound like that ESPECIALLY during the Holland era, he was a strong and sober person, we all know about Brian's condition. Then go on beyond the singing/speaking voice to the piano playing...we have tons of pieces of Brian jamming on the piano how he stops and goes when he messes up, the style that hes playing in...its simply put, Brian.

Agreed 100%.

"My Little Red Book", 1967

Great piece! I listen to it regularly! :3d