The Smiley Smile Message Board

Upon hearing "Here Today" for the first time, one of the first things that struck me about it was the little 'surf' guitar lick before the chorus kicks in. This riff is not unlike something The Ventures made popular. In fact, "Surfin' USA" also contained this little trick during the fade out. I wonder if Brian was using this 'gimmick' on a Pet Sounds track to be ironic or just because he liked the sound. Either way, it is probably my favorite thing about the entire song. Anyone else noticed this?

I've absolutely noticed the riff. Killer. Never made the surf rock connection, but you're right -- it does sound similar to that kind of lick. I actually believe it's the bass playing it -- it goes so very high in the tension-building bridge, then it tumbles down for the chorus. A similar riff is in the instrumental break, too.

You're right, Gurwood. It is the bass playing the lick. This is my favorite track from Pet Sounds. The bass line is one of my absolute favorites because
of the fact it goes in the higher register throughout (like Good Vibrations). While taking bass lessons this past year I learned that most bass players (at least in jazz)
like to use the higher register, especially when soloing. I don't know if this is something Carol (?) decided to do, or the way Brian wrote it (probably the latter). But I did notice
the surf guitar-esque sound in "Here Today". I don't know how it was put in, but it sounds great!

Sounds like the Chantays "Pipeline"-UK group from 1963, #16. This information is  from my forthcoming, yet to be titled book. :lol

Come to think of it, there's two basses on "Here Today". Carol Kaye is playing the upper register notes on the electric bass while Lyle Ritz plays another part on the upright bass. Is it possible that one of the two guitarists on the track are doubling Carol's notes as well?

I've always loved that part, but I never made the surf music connection either.  Good ear!

That's just Brian's arrangements paying homage to the "surf" sound they started with. The same thing comes up in "Melt Away" to my ears: that echoed bass (?) guitar doing the arpeggiated notes. And the bass in "I'm So Young" especially. It does add a nice touch to "Here Today" also.

You know what sounds like the main melody from "Pipeline"? The little melody at that break right before the fade starts in "Til I Die"...about 1:28-1:35. Wonder if Brian was consciously quoting or it was just a coincidence.

Is the book about the Chantays, or the Beach Boys, or??

Or, as the laughing emoticon may hint, a joke...

I was banking on the emoticon killing the joke-good call Luther and sorry bgas.

I'm certain oldsurferdude has it within him to write an epic, gushing Mike Love fan bio.  :lol

Great !! Never thought about that....

Or Mr Stebbons could write 'The Fake Beach Boy'

Maybe he kept going back to it just because he dug it.

Not Carol Kaye...Ray Pohlman.

Holy crap! You're right. I have heard this song thousands of times, and I have never made the connection. But now that you mentioned it, it is very obvious.

AFM sheets and most recent issue of Pet Sounds liner notes state that it's Carol Kaye on "Here Today".

Ray plays on these PS tracks:
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times [electric bass]
Wouldn't It Be Nice [mandolin]
I Know There's An Answer (Hang On To Your Ego) [Electric bass]
God Only Knows [Danelectro bass]
I'm Waiting For The Day [guitar]

 ;D

The Pet Sounds liner notes are very unreliable (for example there are no mandolins on Wouldn't It Be Nice), and I'm not sure what AFM sheet you're thinking of, but Blank No. 247440 for 11 March, 1966 at Sunset Sound for the "Here Today" session does not have Carol on it at all, in fact Ray Pohlman is the leader.  Just be careful when referencing documents--it's hard enough to get things straight.  Another example, Carl is playing 12-string guitar on IWFTD and Ray is in fact playing some sort of bass along with Carol.

No mandolins on WIBN?

I always thought they were doing that tremolo-ing on the 'You know it seems the more we talk about it...' section, so what instrument(s) is/are making that sound?

Accordian according to everything I've read.

I am sure I detect some sort of mandolin-type string instrument during the part of the song that Sam also mentioned (in addition to accordions).
Perhaps it's a bouzouki?

It's easier to pick it out in the stereo mix. Sounds like it might just be the same instrument (guitar?) that opens up the track.

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2 accordians is all i hear. where in the stereo spectrum are you hearing the other instrument? i always love to hear things i've otherwise ignored!

It's in the same channel as the accordions. There's definitely a fast plucking that is typical of a mandolin. Almost like a flamenco guitar. Whatever it is might be playing the same notes as the accordions. It blends really well which is probably what Brian was going for.

I think it's just the two accordians playing together, in the PS-Box it's stated that it can be easily misheard as a mandolin.

Even if you are skeptical about the aural evidence, the personnel situation doesn't allow for mandolins, every musician is accounted for on other instruments.

But see, the thing is... I didn't say it was for sure a mandolin. I said it could be the same instrument that starts the track out (which I assume is a guitar). Something is DEFINITELY doubling the notes that the accordions are playing during the part of WIBN where the music ritards ("you know it seems the more we talk about it..."). There's a plucking sound that is impossible to achieve on accordion because it is not a stringed instrument. The more I listen, the more I think it's probably a guitar being played in a flamenco/Spanish guitar style (except with a pick).

Brian used a similar effect recently with acoustic guitars on Lucky Old Sun's "Mexican Girl" (approximately a minute and 46 seconds into the track).

There's an archtop acoustic guitar strumming during the ritard, but it drops out after the tempo settles.  The accordions are doing the famous triple-bellow shake that sounds astoundingly close to a stringed instrument but isn't.  The intro 12-strings are tacet along with the acoustic guitar during that whole section, it really is just accordions getting that effect.  It's explained in the accordionist  Frank Marocco's own words very nicely in Granata's book on pp. 146 and 147.

Also interesting on Here Today is that the two guitars are fairly uncharacteristic for the album, more or less strumming barre chords when they play.  On almost every other song, the guitars play countermelodies or parts, or if they're just comping they're usually jazz-voicings, but in Here Today, perhaps playing in on the Throw-back vibe, they just strum along.

Interesting point. I also noticed this. Oddly enough, I actually used to get "Here Today" and "That's Not Me" confused with each other and tended to think that "Here Today" was the Pet Sounds track that the Beach Boys played on. The 'surf' sounds and the straightforward vibe of the guitars probably helped with this confusion.

I doubt any of the Boys could've played that wicked electric bass line!  :)

Most of the misconceptions about Pet Sounds credits seem to originate with Carol Kaye.  Check out this interview at http://www.albumlinernotes.com/Carol_Kaye.html (http://www.albumlinernotes.com/Carol_Kaye.html):

Wouldn't It Be Nice -- "I played thirds a lot in the bridge and other places, a romping good song similar to ‘Help Me Rhonda.’ I think it illustrates Brian's happiness in the studio, his freedom to create and have us play this stuff. Jerry Cole--the top line electric guitar; Barney Kessel and Ray Pohlman on two mandolins (rhythm and fills); Bill Pitman-electric guitar (rhythm); Larry Knechtel-quarter notes (with some rhythm) on piano; Al de Lory on piano, doubling what Larry did. The two accordions, Carl Fortina and Frank Marocco (the lick in the middle)."

I'm Waiting For The Day -- Ray Pohlman, electric guitar through Leslie organ speaker. He's playing fills, then electric guitar rhythm. Al de Lory-organ fills; Larry Knechtel-organ quarter notes. Lyle Ritz is playing ukulele. We kidded him about bringing in a ‘shrunken guitar.’ The drums dictated the beat at first; notice the bass part with the 4th (sus 11th) on the bottom. Very rare! Brian really stretched his orchestrating there, but it's fine. This was a little boring to play without a lead...sort of like Beethoven, the bass wound up playing scale-like figures to a march time, ending a jazz-like chordal spread of violin and cellos."