The Smiley Smile Message Board

So, why exactly was GT left off of the Knebworth-DVD? I heard the performance, which is very good imo and you'd have another Brian-vocal in there. And what about the other songs? Although I could live without a live version of "Some of your love", there are other songs that would've been nice to hear/see

I was at the Knebworth gig and at the time thought Some of Your Love was the song that rocked best that night.

Perplexing isn't it? It's not that Carl had an over abundance of lead vocals on the CD/DVD, maybe 4 1/2, and IMO he was peaking vocally around that time.

What's even more perplexing is that they would TITLE the CD/DVD "Good Timin", when it didn't even appear on the released  setlist. ???

I can't quite say for sure, but I've heard the Good Timin for Knebworth and Brian messes up, slightly but noticeably, on the first chorus and although there is a lot of overdubbing on the album/DVD, I'm pretty sure all of the lead vocals are completely live. In fact I'm damn sure of that, as I remember Boyd or Linnett saying it on this site. So I think they didn't include it because Brian messed up.

What did Brian mess up? I've heard the version, and I don't remember any mistakes in it.

The undoctored tapes for Knebworth are frightening. Especially In My Room.

This was released a few years ago, so I may be wrong, but I vaguely remember Bruce saying that he wasn't satisfied with the performance so he requested it not be included?  I may be thinking of something completely different...

Yeah, you are right - the undoctores Versions are... bad :). I always wonder how much you can improve the quality in a studio!

Same here. I just listened to "Good timin'" and without paying to much attention, I didn't recognize any big mistake. On the other hand, the quality of course is not great and maybe it would be better to hear on a official release

Did Brian sing lead on GT? I just thought he added a vocal that wasn't in the studio cut.

Yes, that's what he did. But that's more singing than he did for the rest of the concert, excluding "Surfer girl" and "Sloop John B".

On "Good Timin" he just does a response---a simple part, which wasn't on the recording but it was the original intent of the composition (as Carl said). Brian just mumbles "he" and "it" on the last "it takes good timin'," and he looks afraid during this part. In fact during most of the Good Timin's he did with the Beach Boys he looks for Carl when he's singing as if he's unsure of himself.

I'm pretty sure Mark, Alan, and Bruce have all said that the only thing they did to the Knebworth recordings (besides cleaning up the sound obviously and remastering)  was add another group track of backing vocals and maybe overdub some lead guitar?

Many years ago I heard a board recording of the soundcheck. While it was interesting it was difficult listening. But Good Timin' didn't seem to stand out as being any better/worse than anything else. One thing I do recall is Al wanting to run through a tune, and it seemed that everyone ignored his request. Eventually he said something like "Oh well, I'll just do it with an acoustic guitar".

How does Santa Ana Winds sound on the boots if it`s been heard? They did play it around this time right?

I'd bet that was the song Al wanted to run through on acoustic, because from what I've heard the BBs performance of "Winds" at Knebworth was one step away from completely winging it.

I'm sure that's what it was. Thinking more about it now, I'm positive he was playing through a few of the changes while his request for a run through was falling on deaf ears.

I love the Knebworth concert but they could have made the group look a lot less like an oldies act if all the KTSA songs (and probably even "I Write The Songs") would have been part of the final product.

Ya I haven't heard it in awhile, but Knebworth's Santa Ana Winds was a bit rough, definitely first time they ever played it. I LOVE the version from Washington 7/4/80.  Nice Meros solo and Al drowns out Mike so you can't hear his whiny part either. Hey, at least Al tried for new stuff. Why they didn't play Goin On is beyond me, being the first single off the album, as well as Heartache. 
As for the others from that night, I'm sure there were space limitations or else they would need a double CD?  In M My Room was rough, Brian screwed up them up on the intro.  I Write The Songs is good, just a Bruce decision not to include. Good Timin sounds fine to my ears. Some of Your Love clearly isn't bad  from that night either.  I have never heard Catch A Wave from that show so don't know about that. 7/4/80 was one of the last times I heard that song REALLY rock so might have been interesting.  WIBN Al says Brian and I are gonna try this one together, and Brian never sings. Al laughs during "happy times together we could spend em", but thats not major to me.  Not enough Carl and too much Bruce on the harmony also but that might have been fixable. I think that one could have made the cut.

Here's "Good Timin'" from Knebworth, Brian's mistake is at 1:47

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIr5BsQXJFI&feature=channel_page

But wasn't it first released several decades after it was performed, in which case that's a moot point? It's not as if a 2000 casual audience would particularly notice the omission of 1980 songs over, say, 1970 songs.

I've always wondered, does the complete show exist on film, or is it just that one song?

????????

Yeah, that was a VERY poorly worded sentence, wasn't it? I meant, does the complete unedited show exist  in the hands of collectors? Or was it just that one song that has circulated as an "outtake" of the dvd?

The whole concert has circulated for years.

On film though?

I'm no movie-aker, but I'd assume the film is irrelevant. You either sync it to the edited audio or the unedited audio. It's not like they're using cameras' built-in mics. (i.e. it can be done easily)

I never saw the unedited film though I am aware that a few people had it. I could never land a copy.

I think everyone here would rather that a whole show be released. Too bad exorbitant publishing costs (which ruin 100's of otherwise viable video products) and band politics distorted this and the Lost Concert. Now don't get me wrong it's much better to have something then nothing and I'm sure we all do applaud Mr. Boyd for helping get this out but it's a shame that history is distorted. The Knebworth release may make the Beach Boys seem more polished then they were at the time, but it also takes out the more quirky aspects. It' makes them look a lot more retro then they were at that time. The HBO special did the same thing sadly. 

I've always wondered just how much of the raw tape(s) was "fixed". Going by AGD's website, it seems like this and the July 4th 1980 show were heavily worked on. On the July 4th video, it's rather obvious that the drums have been overdubbed. That's why they're so loud.

I have a hard time putting myself in the position of a casual audience. Let's just say I would have liked it. The group obviously didn't have much faith in most of their post-Endless Summer material and to see them perform a few songs off their then-recent record would have been a real treat for that very reason, not to mention that "Good Timin'" and "Santa Ana Winds" are both favourites of mine.

Well, they're so loud because the mix is just terrible. I don't know who did it but it's just bad.....

I believe it was Desper. 

My memory of the night is that someone had to nip of stage to get lyric sheets as it was the first time the band had ever played it live. But I was 16 at the time and my memory might be squiffy...  Anyway, I enjoyed it then, even though I (seem to recall I) thought it came across like they didn't fully know the lyrics at that time!

Well, I'm pretty sure that Desper would've done a very good mix. That said, all I can judge from is a DVD-copy of the video. Maybe the sound is better on the "real" product, but on my copy it's just dry, lifeless and in no ways rocking. Love the Knebworth-mix though, that one is very good.

I've never seen that video before.  To my ears Dennis slows down quite a bit on the second verse...

What's exactly Brian's mistake?

To my ears, too. It almost made the song totally break down. I wonder if the audio is the "raw" version in that clip? Somebody(Al?) sounds flat.

There is something I've been meaning to ask about the Knebworth show and keep forgetting. Right after the "sunny down snuff I'm alright, by the...." Mike says something right before the music starts up again. Does anybody know what he says? He says it in almost all of the Heroes and Villians performances from around that time.

Not watching it at the moment, but is it "toca la guitarra"? That's play the guitar.

I already posted in this thread what I thought the mistake was...

I went back to it. Thanks.

"Toque la guitarra".

Isn't the verb for "to play" "tocar"? Is toque a conjugation of that, or a different word?

My one year GCSE Spanish course backs you up, Luther.  ;D

Thanks guys!  :) The first time I heard Mike say that, I thought the "guitarra" part sounded like "da da". I think you guys know where I'm going with this.  ;) Anyway, the first time I heard it, I nearly fell off my bed.  ;D

"Toque" is the imperative form for "tocar". So, literally, "Play the Guitar". Though "Toca la guitarra" is the more coloquial use of the imperative.

Funny, I wouldn't (and obviously didn't) expect that spelling change for the imperative. I assumed "toca" was imperative of "tocar." And yes, I really am that big a nerd that not only am I on a Beach Boys based message board at 9:38 pm on a Friday, but that it's this discussion--regarding a language I don't even know except maybe peripherally thanks to some HS, as well as college Latin--that really gets me going. If somebody says "ablative absolute," well I just might lose it.

I like food.  ;D