The Smiley Smile Message Board

...this has been a minor, albeit persistent riddle in my mind for a long time. What was and is Brian's attitude towards solo's? I think it's safe to say he isn't exactly keen on 'improvisational' solo's that go on endlessly without going anywhere. At first, a long time ago, I had to get used a bit to his tactic of  'building in a quiet couple of bars' into a song (think: Don't Worry Baby, where only three staccato notes (guitar? manually hammered other string?) fill the bridge. Same with Please Let Me Wonder, organ, tambourine, and again that hammering effect. No showing off at all. I love it and think it's rather special in all its humility. Less is more.
And I don't particularly like the 'rocky' soloing in 'It's About Time', or 'All I Want To Do'. Other bands can do that too.
That said, Bri was actually fantastic at the 'tiny, hi-energy' solos, as in 'Help Me Rhonda', and 'Do You Wanna Dance'. Sort of mini-Ventures, or Shadows, or Dick Dale. Short and sweet.

Did he ever comment on the nature of a solo? And say whether he liked them, if at all?

Whats interesting is rarely does a BW song have a solo at all...Certainly makes him unique..

interesting topic, as Brian says himself in this very coherent and detailed interview, that "less is more" philosophy as being one of the distinctive things about the BB sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIaDMgKHptI

I like Brian's organ solos from the first few albums. I wish the Beach Boys soloed more.

Great call! This was initially exactly my starting point, only: I didn't have the time to browse the catalogue to see if I'd missed anything. One of his other hallmarks is the brilliant 'outro', where you get hooked and wish it would go on forever... 'Meant For You' is one of the less famous but just as wonderful examples.

Heh: best outro's ever: Surf's Up, California Girls, 'Til I Die, God Only Knows, and, oh, a hundred others.
Worst outro ever: Hey Jude.

I have spoken.

How about the outro for Pet Sounds? Those two gorgous 12 string guitars dueling with each other, on the released versions it fades out to quickly! Another good outro is the Jam on Shut Down from David Marks and Carl!

"I'm gonna let you wail on that baby... think you can do it?"

I wouldn't say rarely...I'd say often. Surfin Safari, 409, Surfin USA, Shut Down, Fun Fun Fun, I Get Around, Dance Dance Dance, Do You Wanna Dance, Help Me Rhonda, Wild Honey, Do It Again, Marcella...all have solos...and that's just off the top of my head, there's gotta be a bunch more.

OK, of course you're right in the technical sense here, Jon, no doubt. But the solo in Help Me Rhonda is a very tiny bluesy guitar punctuation, not an extended 'jam' like so many other bands produced. I find even the synth thing on 'Leaving This Town' boring (just as the song itself). But then, I always found Blondie and Rikki, although expert musicians, very 'un-Beach-Boys'.
At any rate, thanks for your contribution. And I am reading your Denny biog for the second time at the moment.

Are we limiting this to guitar solos? I didn't think that was the premise. Help Me Rhonda has a relatively lengthy piano solo(although low in the mix) leading to that brief "guitar punctuation". I just have to disagree that Brian's songs rarely contain solos. For the period his stuff was being recorded and released he was in the normal range. Beatles and Stones songs from that time period certainly don't have extended jams. By the time the extended jam was truly the musical norm Brian wasn't working very much anymore. I realize its not a clear cut thing, but in general that's the way i see it.

Regarding the Dennis bio, I appreciate your interest, but I cringe when people tell me they are reading the old version of the book now just because so much new info has come to light since 2000. The needed corrections are mostly details that don't affect the overall thrust of the book, but i'm a bit obsessive about details and having some wrong ones in there really bugs me. I am working on an updated, revised and expanded version, I'm way behind schedule, but i hope to have it ready before too long. Anybody interested can reserve one by following the email link at www.therealbeachboy.com

The solo for "Marcella" was a classic, but I liked it much better live, since the song is too slow in the studio version...for me at least. Another observation is that BW and the BB could've made a great hard rock album in 1972, since "You Need a Mess of Help" and "Marcella" are so strong, and we know Dennis could write some fiery rockers. And this is coming from a big CATP fan.

On the subject of solos, another one I like is the piano on "Wind Chimes," the bit that keeps building and building...

When i posted that comment i KNEW i should have been more specific..I was excluding the surf car years..BW BB recordings years  goes far beyond those 1st few years...If ya take all the years BW has been recording..Most of the solo"s are in the 1st few years..

Good addition. I should have written that the Beach Boys, of all the 'classic' rock groups, in my memory are the one band that I never associate with solos (although if you listen to the tracks mentioned above, you'll hear that there are solos). I think it is because their harmonizing obliterates my senses for soloing, because the vocals are so good. Many other bands use extended solos and (aaargh) 'jams' as the high points in their work. Fans get ecstatic, start playing air guitar, shake their heads until their brains are numbed, and generally behave like idiots, until the very mediocre lead singer resumes his, um, 'art'.