The Smiley Smile Message Board

This from BigO:

CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY IN QUAD
Rhino Handmade will release Chicago's debut album, Chicago Transit Authority in true, discrete Quadraphonic sound for the first time ever on DVD. Mastered from early 1970s Quad mixes, the DVD offers unheralded takes on the band's unique fusion of rock and jazz. The 1969 album's 12 tracks include the hit singles "Beginnings," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" and "Questions 67 and 68." The now-classic release also contains a cover of Steve Winwood's "I'm A Man," "Prologue, August 29, 1968" (recorded at the Democratic convention) and an almost 15-minute live take on "Liberation." This is a music-only DVD release and can be played in any DVD player with DTS Surround Sound to fully enjoy the Quadraphonic mix as intended. This disc has NO stereo mix. Due March 23.


This from Wee Helper:

What are the chances that this could be a way of getting the Surf's Up surround mix released? Or the multi-channel Sunflower?

It needs done.

Among a thousand other things :(

No, this needs done immediately. Surf's Up and Sunflower in high resolution multi-channel from the masters used for the vinyl reissues - this is my dream come true. It needs done right now!

Meh. I love this idea, a lot, but certain parts of the catalogue are just already sort of a clusterfuck and/or need some sort of correction, amendment, etc. or there are other things that really deserve to see the light of day.

I didn't know you could say clusterfuck on the Smiley board! Cool.

Difference is that these albums (I think I'm right in saying both; Sunflower certainly. A 5.1 version of Surf's Up was prepared by Mark Linett for DVD-A release a while back, but it didn't happen) were recorded by Stephen Desper in some early form of surround format -  releasing them in such would be to do them justice and present them as they were meant to be heard.  It could be done fairly speedily I'd've thought.

So a multichannel dvd-audio mix of the Surf's Up album has already been prepared (as a follow up on the Pet Sounds ditto) so maybe we need a petition to get it released or getting a smaller independent high-end label to lease it???

You ARE talking about the BB's, you know....

...is the right answer. In BBs-land, we do things differently. We don't mark time with months or years, we do it with centuries, just like the Roman-Catholic Church.

...which reminds me of a joke in Time Magazine, about the Renault Dauphine, in their list of the '50 worst cars ever made': The acceleration of the Dauphine is such that it actually can be measured with a calendar.

You're right -  it's an exercise in time stretching. Back in the early 60s, the BBs managed to release stuff on schedule, in rapid fire succession. Then a hole in the time vortex opened, in the mid Sixties, which pulled in SMILE completely. The band managed to resist the pull but virtually everything since has been delayed, and the delays get longer and longer -  Adult Child, Landlocked, Surf's Up 5.1, Sweet Insanity, the SMILE boxset, Countrylove Make Love Not War, Unleash the Love, Postcard from California, beachboyscentral.com... Evidence of black hole activity? If we find the other end of the worm hole will we find cartons of the SMiLE album all packaged up and ready to ship to stores? Are we sure to sell a million copies, in January 2099?  Am I suffering caffeine deprivation?

Great call. I don't understand it, but I am sure that I will after a couple of beers. Perhaps SMiLE will be detected by the newly functional large hadron collider of CERN, in Geneva. If and when that occurs, I'll let you know.

Of course-and Mike and Bruce will be touring in support of it.

Just for the record, Steve Desper is adamantly opposed to the release of the 5.1 remix of Surf's Up.  In his booklet, "Recording The Beach Boys," he discussed his opposition in a section titled "Surf's Up Under Siege."  These are his comments in their entirety:

< quote removed at request of the author >

I am really impressed by that comment of mr. Desper's... it makes sense. I had my own gripes with that remixed and discofied/hiphopped version of Elvis' 'A Little Less Conversation'. Even the fact that the Presley Estate gave it the thumbs up, it's like a faux dance on Elvis' grave... the singer himself even had no acquaintance at all with the new music forms applied to his classic.

In fact, when philosophizing a bit on these matters, I can only concur with projects like Van Dyke Parks' planned remix of 'Song Cycle' in 5.1; because he himself is the overseeing producer, as well as the original artist. He has the right. Dutch deejay Tiesto did not have the moral right to do his thing with Elvis' song, IMHO.

Many thanks Beach Head: when Steve Desper puts it like that, you've got to sit up and take note.  Did his views have any influence on the nixing of the 5.1 release, or was it merely because the DVD-A format seems to be going the way of 78rpm?

Speaking of Song Cycle 5.1, what happened to that -  is it still on the way?

The latter. I agree totally with SWD but... the Surf's Up DVD-A would have had a bonus track that would have been nice.  ;)

Ahhh...to live again....

:lol

Now I'll have to take a stab -  either WIBNTLA, or the vox-only Surf's Up - which is incredibly good - ?





Or so I'm told.

You were right the first time.  WIBNTLA was going to be the added track to that release had it happened.

I never heard this almost mythical track (really!). What is it? Where can I not hear it?

Alan Boyd played it and other rarities for lucky attendees of an East Coast BB convention, and might have generously shared it again at other events if some bonehead hadn't posted a description of exactly how to record the music in similar circumstances should they be repeated.

Adam Marsland's Chaos Band, featuring Mr. Boyd, covered it on the Carl & Dennis tribute album, Long Promised Road. Evie Sands guested on the track.