The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hey all,
Ever since I heard the demo version of "Still I Dream Of It" (found on the "I Just Was't Made For These Times" Soundtrack), ive been totally obsessed with it. I find it so amazingly beautiful and raw. Does anyone know if there are other such similar lo-fi/raw tracks floating around from that time period? I have some of the Adult/Child recordings, but most of those are super orchestrated/over produced...I'd love to hear more of just brian and piano. anyhow, if anyone knows of more, let me know! thanks!
~adam

There are some 'unreleased' demos goin around from that era of Love You/Adult Child floating around, it has two cuts of It's Over Now (I think), and a bunch of Love You songs: I'll Bet He's Nice, Love is a Woman, and Let's Put Our Hearts together

Also "That Special Feeling" and "I'm Beggin' You Please". But "Still I Dream Of It" is the low-fi demo. The piano doesn't get anymore detuned than this. Brian's voice was never hoarser.

"I'M Beggin' You Please" isn't from the 1976 demos, but is a few years older - someone spliced that in, for no good reason.

All of these aforementioned recordings are amazing. Love "It's Over Now". So sad. "That Special Feeling" and "They're Marching Along" are amazingly joyous for the period they were written during, and they definitely pass that on to the listener. I like how Mike says "that's a nice spiritual song" at the end of "Marching". I think he means it, too.

I was sent an invite to this youtube channel a few days ago:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lcanhearmusic#p/c/856B066FB61FCAAA

it is full of 1976 Brian-at-the-Piano home recordings. I was playing 'Still Dream Of It' at my computer a while ago when a family member laughed at it (the quality of Brian's voice); I love that recording...the lyrics are so down to earth and relatable. Brian's voice may be very tattered in the recording but it does not take away from the message (it almost adds emphasis on the lyrics). Whenever I hear it I just can't believe that less than 10 years had gone by since Pet Sounds.

hope the link helped!

Are you sure about that?   It seems that his voice was in better shape a few years earlier... this sounds pretty ragged.

hey...
thanks for the info ya'll! just checked out the youtube links...wow, nice stuff! anyone have advice on how to get the mp3s of these demos you mentioned? not too savvy about such things myself. anyhow, let me know. thanks!
~adam

Recorded October 6th 1978 during the LA sessions. You may have noticed that the other demos are mono while "IBYP" is in 'left'right' stereo. Anything else you'd like to question my research on ?

OH NO HE DI-INT...GIRLLL

Yeah, by the time of the LA sessions, his voice started getting even more ragged than it did back in 1976. It sounds closer in vintage to Night Bloomin' Jasmine, than, say, You Lost That Lovin' Feeling, even though it was the same length of time (2 years). What I've heard of this time period featuring Brian confirms the 1978 date of this song to me.

I've never been able to listen to the Still I Dream Of It demo. I realise it's more emotional and "raw", but the out of key/tune-ness of it really gets to me. Especially on the part where he sings "...when I can say I've fallen in love". Ouch. It just doesn't sit right with me.

Odd question: Why is the sound quality of the bootlegged version of said song better than the officially released version???

Cheers for the link. I love all these demos - they're collected on a boot called Brian Loves You or some-such. Definitely one of the best boots I've never heard.

I started watching I'll Bet He's Nice on the Youtube channel and it was weird accompanied with all the Smile shots. It fits right in for some reason, like his older voice aside, it could've been a smile demo.  I really think Brian was still churning out genius work during the late 70s.

And my heart skipped a beat when I saw God Only Knows on the list. Thought somebody had unearthed a piano demo for a minute!! S**t, considering how amazing Don't Talk sounds in demo form, I reckon a vintage GOK piano demo would be beautiful beyond comprehension.

What confirmed it for me was was the song (logged as "Please Darling") being on a tape dated 10/6/78 on the box.

Oh well, yeah, that too. :lol

Nah just meant that if we had no hard evidence, you could tell just from hearing.

http://www.mediaconverter.org/

Just cut and paste the youtube link and select mp3 as the conversion....it's a great program to use when you can't find the song in any other way. The conversion quality is good for coming from youtube - however they're home-recorded boots anyways so I suppose it doesn't matter lol

Could it be that he thought that you meant it was from before 1976 since you called it 'a few years older'?

Fair point. Should have said "a year or two later". Which, by jove, it is !  ;D

The version of "Still I Dream" on the IJWMFTT soundtrack seems to be taken from a bootleg, not any original tape.

Not only is it sourced from a boot, but the demo on the soundtrack is also at the wrong speed. It's slower and makes Brian sounds older and croakier than the actual tape.

It's all very effective for the doc and the soundtrack (esp. when it transitions to Brian singing in a much higher, clearer voice on "Melt Away," but it's not an accurate representation of the demo as recorded.

Can't forget the Coke sessions, or To Sir With Love.

What is To Sir With Love?!!

1977 cover of the Lulu song by American Spring. Coupla problems: one, the lead vocal is Rocky Pamplin... and two, if the tape is anything to judge by, neither Brian nor he knew anything of the song before someone suggested they try it. Rocky's singing (?) is dire, and Brian's piano sounds like he's wearing boxing gloves. It's horrible

Beach Boys and related demos/home recordings -

Surfin', 1961 - Hite Morgan demo
Luau, 1961 - Hite Morgan demo
Lavender, 1961 - Hite Morgan demo
Surfin' Safari, 1962 - Capitol demo tape
409, 1962 - Capitol demo tape
Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring, 1962 - Capitol demo tape
Thank Him, 1963 - Brian and Bob Norberg
Surfin' USA, 1963 - Brian
Surfin' USA, 1963 - Brian and Dennis
Little Surfer Girl, 1963 - Brian
In My Room, 1963 - Brian and Bob Norberg
Little Deuce Coupe, 1963 - Brian and Bob Norberg
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder), 1965 - Brian
Heroes and Villains, 1966 - Brian and Van Dyke Parks
Break Away, 1969 - full production with Brian demo vocals
Untitled (aka Barbara), 1969 - Dennis
Back Home, 1970 - Brian on piano, Al on vocals
Daddy Dear/Susie Cincinnati (aka Pattycake), 1972 - Brian/Al
Mount Vernon and Fairway, 1974 - Brian at home playing for friends
California Feelin', 1974 - Brian at Western, piano
That Special Feeling, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
Untitled, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
It's Over Now, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
It's Over Now, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
They're Marching Along, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
Still I Dream Of It, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
Love Is A Woman, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
Mona, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
Airplane, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
Let's Put Our Hearts Together, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
I'll Bet He's Nice, 1976 - Brian's demo session before Love You
To Sir With Love, 1977 - Brian on piano, Rocky Pamplin on vocals
A Little Somethin', 1977 - Brian on piano/vocals, Rocky Pamplin and Stan Love on vocals
I'm Begging You Please, 1978 - Brian on piano/vocals
A Simple Song, 1978 - Michael, a cappella
Almost Summer, 1978 - piano/bass/guitar, Brian on vocals
Sweetie, 1981 - Brian on vocals/piano
Reins, 1981 - Brian on vocals/piano
Walkin' On Water, 1981 - Brian on vocals/piano
Labor Day, 1982 - Dennis
Yeahhh! (aka Child, Adult, and Parent), 1982 - Brian on vocals/piano
Oh Lord, 1982 - Brian on vocals/piano, Dennis on organ
City Blues, 1982 - Brian on vocals/piano
Untitled (aka I Said A Prayer/This Isn't Love), 1982 - Brian on vocals/piano
Why Don't You Tell Me Why You've Been Good To Me?, 1982 - Brian on vocals/piano
I Feel So Fine, 1982 - Brian on vocals/piano, Dennis on organ
Heroes and Villains, 1982 - Brian on vocals/organ
East Meets West, 1983 - demo track with Brian, Michael, Carl, Al, and Bruce with the Four Seasons on vocals
In the Night Time (aka The First Time), 1983 - Brian on piano/organ/vocals with programmed drums
Little Children, 1983 - Brian on piano/organ/vocals with programmed drums
Black Widow, 1983 - Brian on piano/organ/vocals with programmed drums
Up In The Sky (aka There's So Many), 1983 - Brian on organ/vocals
Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel, 1985 - Brian on piano/vocals
Saturday Morning In The City, 1987 - Brian on piano/vocals, with drum machine
Christine, 1987 - Brian on piano/vocals, with drum machine
Everything I Need, 1996 - Brian, Carnie, and Wendy on vocals
Everything I Need, 1996 - Carnie and Wendy on vocals
That Lucky Old Sun, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Morning Beat, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Narrative - Room With A View, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Good Kind Of Love, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Narrative - Venice Beach, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Live Let Live, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Mexican Girl, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Narrative - Cinco De Mayo, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
California Role, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Narrative - Between Pictures, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Oxygen To The Brain, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Midnight's Another Day, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
That Lucky Old Sun (reprise), 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Going Home, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation
Southern California, 2007 - Brian and Scott Bennett on vocals/instrumentation

This is what I can think of from the top of my head. There exists a second demo tape for That Lucky Old Sun, which is much longer and supposedly what Brian "intended". Dennis left behind a lot of piano demos and piano/vocal tracks in the 1970s. Apparently GIOMH had a bunch of demo recordings associated with it. Carl and Randy Bachman might have done some demo tapes of their songs in 1979, and so on and so on and so on...

I was gonna say, there's a good 10 years between Everything I need and TLOS, figured there'd be a bunch of demos from Brian.....anyone care to shed some light on this?

I recall that BW performed Cry from Imagination on a videotape played for a convention in 96-97. But anything else demoed in the 90s and 2000s has stayed under wraps. They run a tight ship, and I know the wifenmanagers were livid at the TLOS leaks.

I thought Pattycake was a song about a gorilla. and Child/Adult/Parent was a Landy-era song...

I may be wrong, but I think "Yeahhh!" is just Brian yelling the word "yeah" over an uptempo version of the "Oh Lord" chord progression. Either that, or just Brian and Dennis fooling around.  ;D

I think that bit bears a strong resemblance to the 'river's deep and river's wide' bit in Rio Grande, or are we thinking of different things?

I've never heard 'Reins', any good?
Is 'Sweetie' the one that turned into 'Love ya', not sure if I've heard that but I get the idea!

I REALLY want to hear this recording.  ;D Is it circulating?

On top of these I really like the Cocaine Sessions, which are truly rough gems. Pretty bad quality but features a pretty haunting version of City Blues.