The Smiley Smile Message Board

So I've been listening to Holland a lot lately. A lot.

Is that Brian doing the high background part on "Steamboat," mostly on the right channel. It definitely sounds like him to me, but is there any proof, confirming or otherwise? And who is doing those über-deep bass vocals in the left channel? Is it Mike or Dennis?

The bass is Dennis.  Seems there was a debate about the high part in the vocal credits thread but I don't remember what it was.

Not 100% on topic, but... This afternoon I was listening to the first side of Holland at loud volume and while "Steamboat" might not be among the group's greatest ever in terms of songwriting, the production still strikes me as nothing short of mesmerizing. Would love to hear that track without the vocals. Did they achieve those percussion sounds by slowing down an actual drum beat?

Big fan of the 1972 arrangement of "Big Sur", by the way. The group vocals complimenting the final verse of this song never fail to amaze me. I think they're gorgeous. What an album...

Those vibes or whatever crawling all over "Steamboat" totally blow me away. And are you talking about Al's "ooohh"s at the end of the "Big Sur"? Great backing.

Really the whole album is quickly climbing up my list of favorites. It's been getting me very hyped about a trip I'm going to be taking to Yosemite in a couple weeks. Holland's always given off this very woodsy, organic vibe...it sounds what Northern and wild California looks like, and rings very authentic rather than pretentious, as some seem to find it.

Holland I have to admit is one of the albums I fell out of love with. Not sure specifically why - maybe it's an album where Brian feels less present - but the positive comments here, especially the enthusiasm for steamboat, make me want to go and dig it out again.

Since we're somewhat on that topic, which songs was Brian vocally present on? "California" obviously, and maybe "Funky Pretty" although I don't think I can hear him on there. Are there any other songs he's possibly on. Or for that matter, they he even played on besides "Funky Pretty"?

Apparently Brian is on Funky Pretty. He plays drums (hardly!) and sings, backing vocals. Apparently he's the one saying "funky pretty gone". You can hear that, buried deep in the mix at about 2:22-2:25 and continuing thereon. I don't know if there's any proof but it also sounds like he's in the backing vocal blend of "The Trader". Though I guess it could be someone else. And "Steamboat," or at least that sounds a lot like him singing those high backing parts. To me anyway.


Brian's minimal presence makes his music on this album seem even more arcane and mythic than usual to me. That creepy photo of him on the back (note new avatar) and Mt Vernon and Fairway only serve to reinforce this.

"Steamboat" is one of the "Holland" songs that Marilyn & Diane said they were on (in an interview with AGD some years back).  Without digging it out to listen at the moment, I would guess the high part is possibly one or both of them.  I will say that I've always thought I could make out Ricky's voice on there, singing a mid-rangey part in the "Oh, don't worry Mr. Fulton" refrain.

Interesting. Complicates things.

The part I think is Brian specifically starts on the second verse--at exactly 1:03 (when Carl says "jasper") a high voice abruptly cuts in, on the right channel. Singing something like "huhn nah" and variations of. When it does a falsetto "huuuh" at 1:48-53 I'm almost positive it's Brian. If I only had the isolated vocal tracks. There is so much (vocally and instrumentally) going on in this song.

It is indeed Brian. 

Brian's on that, Funky Pretty (I've heard the isolated version), California, and that's about it.

Brian is also said to do the, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNKY" at the end of the song, although he's been sped up.

Steamboat wouldn't be too out of place on Dark Side of the Moon IMO!

Good one. It's almost got a proto-industrial vibe to it.

Wow, thanks for the confirmation. It might be a sign of my increasingly unstable obsession with these guys but it was bugging me. I thought I was crazy hearing Brian when others couldn't make him out.


It's very evocative. "Sounds" like a "steamboat" at least.

Yeah, once you know what to listen for, it's *real* obvious.  What's crazy is finding out that even when Brian wasn't active, he was still active, if you kin. Really, the only albums that I cannot make him out on vocally are LA Light and (obviously) SIP.

Couldn't agree more, in fact I think this is what really turned me on to Holland in the first place. When I first discovered the group's catalogue (in 2000 or 2001 I think) I was hesitant to even buy the record as I had read it had virtually no Brian involvement at all. Then I had a look at the credits and noticed his major contributions to "Funky Pretty" and the fairy tale (plus "Sail On, Sailor", of which I had read before). It all seemed rather mysterious to me and I guess his role in the making of the BB's early seventies work continues to puzzle me to this very day. Even when Brian used to be mostly absent from the group it seems like his shadow was looming all over the group's records. Love the fairy tale, by the way, I think it's very underrated. Too bad Tom Petty didn't like it, but I think he really should've kept that to himself.

That's one of the many things I love about the "Surf's Up - So Tough- Holland" trilogy. Even when the others were at their songwriting, performing and producing peak just the odd song or contribution from Brian manages to change the whole tone and feel of the record. Hell! Forget Smile for just a minute and imagine what Brian would have achieved if he'd been 100% committed and focused in '71-'73.

That has been remarked before. If you take the original line up of side A - so without SOS and ending with We Got Love - starting off the album with Steamboat gives Holland totally different feel. And indeed similar like Dark Side Of The Moon starts.

Yeah, he doesn't look like a bandmember at all

Why not? Cuz he wasn't in a live setting? Neither was Dennis....all the rest of the guys were though. Oddly enough.

Billy you are dead on. Steamboat always stuck out to me. Of course Brian was also very vocally present on Mt. Vernon. He's singing the "Magic Transistor Radio" lead with Carl and did many other backgrounds and of course the Pied Piper voice.

there's just something, besides the atmosphere, his face, hair; maybe I dont see enough pics of Brian from that era...The only other one I can think of is what he looks like on the back of So tough

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,1990.msg73662.html#msg73662

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,1990.msg125702.html#msg125702

I know what you mean. More than the other Beach Boys, photographs of Brian seem to bring out different emotions in me. Some of those 1972-1974 pictures are disturbing, almost like you can see the demons creeping in. And, it makes you wish you could travel back in time and rescue him, whisk him away from the influences...

EXACTLY!

The Brian photo from the back of Holland that Slothrop uses always make me think that someone with a camera had just crept up on Brian and tapped him on the shoulder. His expression is pure "Yeah? Whaddda want?"

Here's a couple of questions I've been meaning to ask, trivial and anal retentive as they may well be. In the "Endless Harmony" doc there is a short clip from "Holland era" group with "California" playing. It has them in an open top car and then jumping off a small verge. Does anybody know what this footage is from and for what purpose was is filmed? Also I counted 7 people in it. Is one of them Brian? Impossible to confirm just by looking even on pause. I thought he'd have been drunk listening to Randy Newman when it was shot.

I do know some of the footage/pics are on the Sail on Sailor video/track on the EH dvd, check that as well if you haven't already...perhaps Jack Rieley, Ricky, Blondie; any of them look like a female?  Coulda been one of their wives...tryin to think who all went to Holland....prolly filmed it while tryin to set up that damn studio!   ;D

There's a close up of Mike in the car and Al pointing and screaming so that places them there. From behind when they jump off the verge I can recognise Blondie from his afro and Ricky with his long dark hair. Dennis and Carl can be made out on pause too. That just leaves one....

Without looking, my guess would be Daryl because he's the only other "member" pictured with the goup in some of the outdoor photos from that era.

Yep, Daryl is seen driving the convertible car with Blondie, Ricky, Carl, Dennis, Mike, and Alan all crammed in, inside David Leaf's book.