The Smiley Smile Message Board

I could listen to the bass line for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" for hours.  i love it.  the backing track just bounces along and i can't resist

Yeah- also "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" It is so dense and lush. Perfection!

Salt Lake City does it for me.

Love California Girls, with all the horns, it sounds so dense.

It's a toss-up between Cabin Essence and Had to Phone Ya. No kidding.

Another vote for Had to Phone Ya (the orchestrated version). 

Either Let Him Run Wild or Wouldn't It Be Nice.

Cabinessence. To me, it's absolutely perfect-especially, the 'Grand Coulee Dam' fade.

"Cabinessence" is a little piece of art on it's own--brilliant. "Wouldn't it Be Nice" is majestic, as is "California Girls." I think "I Just Wasn't Made for these Times" is incredible too, I dig the piano in the chorus---you'd never pick that out if you weren't listening to the backing track.

"Help Me Rhonda" - when this gets to the chorus it's such a joy to hear what's otherwise buried underneath the group's vocals. Does it get any more bouncy than this?

Agree on both "Cabinessence" and "Had to Phone Ya" - great stuff.

I'd love to hear the individual backing tracks of "This Whole World", "Sweet Mountain", "All I Wanna Do", and "Roller Skating Child".

Good call, also intersting that it is kinda 'honky-tonk' which we wouldn't expect given the song's mood.

"Child is Father of the Man"

"Sloop John B."
"Cabinessence"
and
"Til I Die" (Desper Mix)

 Bri

Hard to say...how about a top 3? In chronological order, as of right now:

Amusement Parks USA
All I Wanna Do
Honkin' Down the Highway

And listening to "Blueberry Hill" right now, I have to say it's a pretty ballsy arrangement...that bass...etc.

So many to choose from, most of which have been mentioned already (in no particular order):

Sloop John B
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (hell, everything on Pet Sounds really)
Do You Wanna Dance
In The Back of My Mind
Kiss Me Baby
California Girls
Salt Lake City
Wonderful
Cabinessence
Surf's Up
Til I Die

Now that I'm thinking of these, I'm inclined to make my own "Stack O' Tracks" mix...I could listen to just Brian's instrumental tracks all day long.  There's just so much to take in with each track - several interesting elements all coming together at once.

My favorite part of the song, and something that's hard to single out (especially in the versions with the vocals) is the fuzz bass on the song.

I've always loved the track to I'm Waiting for the Day.

How about...... (in no particular order, & there are many more I could pick)

1.  You Need A Mess of Help To Stand Alone (1972)
2.   Be Here In The Morning (1968)
3.  Busy Doin' Nothing (1968)
4.   Break Away (1969)
5.  'Til I Die (1971)
6.  Disney Girls (1971: especially the opening mandolin/drums)
7.  Steamboat (1973)
8.  All This Is That (1972)
9.  Kiss Me Baby (1965: one I just heard recently, unbelievably)
10.  That's Not Me (1966)
11.  Love Surrounds Me (1979: so atmospheric, kinda late at night feeling)
12.  The Trader (1973)
13.  It's Ok (1976:  those drums, organ, & Moog are pretty good)
14.  I'll Bet He's Nice (1977)
15.  I Can Hear Music (1969;  love those acoustic wall of sound guitars)
16.  Slip On Through (1970)

kiss me baby, wouldnt it be nice, and time to get alone

I've been liking "Just Once in My Life" a lot lately. I really like the backing track for "TM Song", too. Those, to me, are what 15 Big Ones would've sounded like had Brian tried to make it a big production. I will note that my particular love of these 15 Big Ones backing tracks probably has something to do with me having worn out some of the more famous examples. These still sound more fresh to my ears.

It's About Time -- great percussion there!

where can I find the '15 Big Ones' backing tracks???

Had to Phone Ya especially.....

The backing track to Had to Phone Ya on the Spring album is good too, really quirky.

I have to vote also for Just Once In My Life.  That slinking bass, tinkling guitars, nice synth line...I wouldn't change a thing.  Also an effect that sounds like steam being released (?) just before "that old pot of gold."  Is this from the same Brian who went on to do the rest of the album so slipshod (granted with moments of greatness) and the poorly produced Love You the following year?  What did he have enough juice just for one mega production?  Because Just Once In My Life is all that and a bag of chips...

Also, the standards mentioned here are brilliant.  There are times I just have a stack of tracks listening hour and marvel at the greatness of it all.  I like to play, say, California Girls backing track on crank to people who usually aren't fans and you can see they are thinking "wow, very nice..."

Mark

Can't think of  a backing track I've heard that does NOT grab my attention ...

You Still Believe in Me, I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, Be With Me, Just Once in My Life, Cabinessence, Time to Get Alone...and the list could go on forever. I find that making mixes of backing trax is a decent way of introducing the band to naysayers...

Just the opening bit to God Only Knows makes me cry tears of joy.

Good Vibrations is probably my favorite. The transitions just blow me away with their brilliance.

May favorite is probably Little Girl I Once Knew, or God Only Knows. Or maybe Little Pad, just to screw with everybody's head.  ;D

Blueberry Hill...yeah...that was tight.  That and Just Once in my Life are two awesome backing tracks. Be With Me. Good Vibrations. Sweet Mountain. Til I die.

Yeah.

When I first bought Stack-O-Tracks on CD i found myself listening to "Darlin'" and "Do It Again" repeatedly. "Here Today" was another favourite.

I'd also mention That's Not Me... great track, primal drums

My Top3 backing tracks today are:

Good To My Baby (those guitars in the chorus!)
When I Grow Up.... the most imperfectly perfect track (with the slightly behind harpsichord and Mike's vocal) if that makes sense?
He's a Doll-classic early production

These will probably change tomorrow!!

Little Pad has a really nice backing track!

'Here Today' - great circus organ and discordant drumming; the brass sounds like a summons to war.

Pet Sounds box set informal run-through version, also. I'm Waiting For the Day has sublime subtleties.

Guess I'm Dumb, awesome production...especially the lead up to the chorus :)

I love the Box Set sessions of I'm Waiting For The Day where the instrumentalist makes a "mistake" and Brian just loves it and asks him to play it again (but he can't get it exactly like that again) and said "It was a great mistake, man" haha Love it!  :)

The Stak O Traks lp is hard to beat but could be expanded on with what is now available.

WIBN on the PS box is just killer...as is the vocals only part.

I can't actually think of that many backing tracks I don't like, but I absolutely love everything produced between 64-67.

I'm really partial to "I'm So Young".  I love how the rhythm guitar comes halfway in, and the repeating bass part is one of my all time favorites.  The earlier Wrecking Crew production is good too, but feels way too busy in comparison to the simplicity of the album version.

Also, I love the cello(?) on "All Dressed Up For School".

In The Back Of My Mind.  Blows me away every time i hear it.

According to Craig Slowinski it's "a groaning arco (meaning "bowed") double-bass".

I love the track for Old Man River, and Sloop John B is a little miracle. Everything instrumental about that is just perfect.

Where are you finding  "15 Big ones" or "Love you" backing tracks ,if I may ask and what cd might they be found?
 I love the farting synthesizers on "Love you".

I have to go with California Girls.  The way the drums kick in and just rock along the whole song is great, it has a real swagger to it.  Plus the organ never gets old. 

By the way, I'm not saying I sit around and listen to the instrumental all day, I mean out of the songs which do I love the music going on in the background the most.

Honestly, this is not a knock of kirt, but I'm extremely tired of the term "farting synths", when referring to 'anything'...be it "Love You" or otherwise.  I've read it for 15 years now online and it's like "Brianista" or "Al Jardine waiting for a bus".  It's a cliché.  It's lost any meaning it may have had.

If there's some statement of opinion or relevance one would like to make then GREAT!  I'm just tired of people falling back on  ...whatever the statements were...  from the past.

  May I still use it offline?

Add me to the "Cabin Essence" lovers, especially the last part.
"Surf's Up" Pt. 1 is beautifully arranged, and a lot of other SMiLE stuff like "Wonderful" (both SMiLE versions), "Wind Chimes" (also both SMiLE versions), "Child Is Father To The Man" etc.
But my favorite track is "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times".

Many goodies listed, f.ex. "Cabinessence" but, despite being advanced, it isn't imo very interesting as just track. Favorite is & was "You Still Believe in Me". I liked it when 1st listened to it with vocals & later as backing track during footage in "Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson & the Story of Smile". It is every bit as good.

Time to Get Alone. Hands down

My God! Did the Beach screw up the mixing on the master. I love the multiple keyboard instruments carrying the beat. What completely knocks me out of the water is the string section at the end. Man, does Brian know how to orchestrate a string section!

Good vibrations as mentioned i could listen to that whole instrumental for days..
Surfer girl- that bass
Fire:mrs.olearys cow- pure genius :smokin

I love the horn on God Only Knows. Definitely my favorite backing track.

Gosh, so many good ones.

My favorite is In The Back of My Mind.

Some others, a little back in the pack, include Salt Lake City, Here Today, Kiss Me Baby

Many, many terrific choices possible here, and so many great ones already mentioned.

For "classical" BBs, "Sloop John B." really has something.

For instrumentals that actually were supposed to be instrumentals (or wound up that way), it's hard not to choose "Let's Go Away For Awhile."

For those who want something more straight-ahead rock, the almost totally instrumental track of "Sail On Sailor" that Alan Boyd so kindly put on the HAWTHORNe compilation really kicks some serious ass.

Billy, if you are reading this, please--PLEASE--find a way to make an instrumental version of "Mess of Help." Much as we love to talk about the unusual, hyper-gritty vocals, the backing track is itself fascinating as all get-out and I need to burn that into my synapses. I've GOT to hear this before they send me to the glue factory!!!  :3d