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Smiley Smile Stuff => General On Topic Discussions => Topic started by: monicker on July 30, 2011, 10:08:00 AM



Title: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on July 30, 2011, 10:08:00 AM
Last recording to make use of the organ? Also, is it known when he first got it? We are introduced to it on record with Smiley Smile, but did he own it well before that?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Wylson on July 30, 2011, 10:23:24 AM
I can't remember the specifics, but in an interview Al said that Brian was given it by Baldwin around the time of Smile, and that Brian insisted on using it on every song (which in Al's mind spoiled the recording of H&V)


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Chris Brown on July 30, 2011, 11:04:33 AM
I thought I'd read that it was given to him sometime in spring '67 - it doesn't appear on any Smile sessions that I know of, so sometime shortly before Smiley recording commenced in June is my best guess.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: SloopJohnB on July 30, 2011, 01:21:34 PM
I can't remember the specifics, but in an interview Al said that Brian was given it by Baldwin around the time of Smile, and that Brian insisted on using it on every song (which in Al's mind spoiled the recording of H&V)

Was it really given by Baldwin? I knew it was a gift, but I didn't know who had offered it.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Mark H. on July 30, 2011, 05:21:05 PM
I thought I'd read somewhere that it was a gift from Murry.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Dunderhead on July 30, 2011, 07:05:24 PM
I thought I'd read somewhere that it was a gift from Murry.

This was my impression as well.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: David Kennedy on July 30, 2011, 10:26:50 PM
Does anyone know exactly what kind of Baldwin it was?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Dunderhead on July 30, 2011, 10:28:52 PM
I think it was determined in a previous thread that it was an HT2R.

http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/1188504/480/Baldwin/BaldwinHT2R.jpg?v0


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: SloopJohnB on July 31, 2011, 03:16:33 AM
After some research I had determined it was a HT2R (it had just been introduced in 1967, and had this optional white/gold trim), which was confirmed by Stephen Desper.

And yes, I now remember reading somewhere that it was a gift from Murry. But I also just remembered that Brian said in a 1966 (!) Melody Maker interview that his dad had given him an organ for his birthday. But did he refer to his 1966 birthday, or a previous one? Because he might have talked about another organ. Or maybe he got one of the very first HT2Rs manufactured in 1966... Or maybe it was a HT2 and not a HT2R after all.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Iron Horse-Apples on July 31, 2011, 04:33:44 AM
It appears the Baldwin HT2R had a built in drum machine, refered to as a drum module. Could this be what was used in some recordings, notably "Lady"?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on July 31, 2011, 05:57:53 AM
It appears the Baldwin HT2R had a built in drum machine, refered to as a drum module. Could this be what was used in some recordings, notably "Lady"?

According to Desper, no.  The drum machine sounds heard on Lady and Til' I Die are from a Maestro Rhythm King, which is basically just one of those organ drum modules as a stand-alone unit. 

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjFj2mkFYsc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjFj2mkFYsc)


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: SloopJohnB on July 31, 2011, 02:25:50 PM
It appears the Baldwin HT2R had a built in drum machine, refered to as a drum module. Could this be what was used in some recordings, notably "Lady"?

Also called the "rhythm drawer" - it appears some HT2Rs had it and some didn't, so it's not a reliable way of telling whether Brian's organ was a HT2 or a HT2R...  :-\


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on July 31, 2011, 04:44:15 PM
For the record, I definitely remember hearing that Baldwin had given the white theater organ to Brian as a gift. I'm sticking to that version until I can find confirmation either way. I'm thinking perhaps whatever the organ was which Murry gave Brian was a different model.

A few photos to consider:

For reference, this is Brian's white Baldwin organ in Hawaii:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/hawaii2-1.jpg)


*This* is the same Baldwin organ later shown in Brian's home studio, from film edited to "Time To Get Alone" in "American Band", proving it was still there after Smiley and Wild Honey at least:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/sd3.jpg)

Now compare those to this shot of Brian playing an organ at his house during the Smile era, in front of the infamous doll display:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/BWorgan1a.jpg)

The keyboard Brian is at in the house photo looks to be from a Hammond spinet model...notice directly to Brian's left both a brown woodgrain finish on the cabinet and the fast/slow switch for the Leslie. The Baldwin was white and had a different layout on the console. Could this brown woodgrain finish organ have been the gift from Murry if he did indeed gift Brian with an organ in '66?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on July 31, 2011, 05:01:03 PM
I'm posting this just for fun, with a story:

On an older board (Smile Shop?) the topic of Brian's Baldwin organ was being discussed, along with some of the same folks posting here in this thread. At around the same time, if I remember how it happened, this photo was posted online completely unrelated to the discussion, Brian, Smiley Smile, whatever:
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/BaldwinTheater2.jpg)

This is the Baldwin model Brian used, only in brown finish rather than Brian's white finish. This one also had the Leslie cabinet included (it's off to the left...). If my memory is accurate, a church somewhere in the Northeast US was renovating and needed to clear space, I guess, so they were offering this organ for sale at a very low price, or maybe even as a "You-haul-it-away" free offer. Was it Ebay? Was it a "free" classified in the days before Craigslist? Would Josh remember? I don't know for sure, but it was a great opportunity to own the model Baldwin we all know and love from Smiley...if I had more room for it and a way to transport it to PA I'd have picked it up. It's the second classic organ I missed acquiring in my life, the first was a black Hammond M3 in Boston for 400 bucks. Damn.

I like this picture because you can see more detail, including the pedals which Brian would have used on "Fall Breaks..." when he had them played with hands instead of feet!


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on July 31, 2011, 05:38:01 PM
Pretty sure ebay...I don't think it was free but it was very, very affordable and you were indeed required to pick it up.  Wonder where it ended up.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Jay on July 31, 2011, 06:05:56 PM
Hey guitarfool2002, just out of curiosity, where are you in PA? Maybe we live near each other.  ;D


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on July 31, 2011, 07:06:53 PM
That’s a very good theory that Murry gave Brian another organ, and then Baldwin gave him the Baldwin right before the Smiley sessions. It’s funny though, that means that Brian probably very quickly put Murry’s gift aside to make room for his new obsession.

I didn’t think there was doubt about it being around after Wild Honey. Isn’t it all over the Friends record? No one knows the last recording to feature the Baldwin then? 

Regarding the above story, i remember a young kid from (i think) Poughkeepsie, NY, who used to post a lot around 2004, getting, if i recall correctly, a similar model or possibly the same model Baldwin, either free or very, very cheap, and telling us folks here about it. I think he may have uploaded some mp3s of him playing it. Is this the same thing Craig is thinking of? But i'm pretty sure that that was from craigslist, which, by the way, has been around since 2000 or so. Where i live, it’s ridiculous how many organs of all sorts people are constantly giving away. I’ve run out of space in my tiny apartment, but as soon as i get a studio type space, i am starting my organ collection in earnest, as well as a good arsenal of orchestra percussion. 


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Jay on July 31, 2011, 07:34:07 PM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on July 31, 2011, 07:45:11 PM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

Could be an Epiphone.

Murry is said to have given Brian various presents.  The organ, the Chickering Grand piano, and a set of Neumann U67s for the home studio are all items supposedly gifted.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on July 31, 2011, 08:04:25 PM
A set of Neumann U67s...Jesus. Nice gift.  
This, amongst other things, goes to show how well off this once working class family was.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on July 31, 2011, 08:24:51 PM
A set of Neumann U67s...Jesus. Nice gift.  
This, amongst other things, goes to show how well off this once working class family was.

Well, they were a little cheaper then than they are now.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on July 31, 2011, 09:35:44 PM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on July 31, 2011, 09:36:59 PM
Hey guitarfool2002, just out of curiosity, where are you in PA? Maybe we live near each other.  ;D

Near Valley Forge.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on July 31, 2011, 09:45:47 PM
That photo of Brian in front of the toy display at the organ: There is a wider, uncropped version of that same photo which shows a book on top of the sheet music holder on the organ as well as the organ's drawbars on top of the console....does anyone have that and could they post it if possible? I'm almost certain he's playing a Hammond B3 or another "3" model Hammond in that shot and the uncropped photo would confirm that either way.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on July 31, 2011, 09:53:41 PM
I found the interview! :-D Al talking about the Baldwin organ - according to this interview in Goldmine July 2000, Baldwin gave Brian the organ:

The song was great, but the sonic value was bad. We were experimenting in that studio with limited equipment. We had just finished “Good Vibrations” in Columbia Studios with the greatest equipment ever made at the time, state-of-the-art limiters and compressors and equalisers  and the most exotic microphones and state-of -the-art recording machines. And the next thing we did is we decompress and we take The Beach Boys P.A. system, take it home and break it down. It was designed by our engineer, set that up and then used that as our playback monitors and rented a 16-track machine. And that was our studio. So no matter how good you are, it's gonna be limited to the equipment that you are able to record with. I'm trying to figure out how we went from United-Western and Columbia to Brian's living room. I'll have to ask [Steve] Desper, our engineer about that. It must have been a conception of his and Nick Grillo, our manager at the time. There must have been something related to costs. It was certainly costing an arm and a leg to record at these studios. So “Heroes And Villains” had no sonic energy, I can't explain. If you listen to the record it's kind of flat. The mastering maybe could have helped. I don't know if it was mastered properly. Al I know is that it took a while for it to kick into gear. Anyway, I think that really deflated Brian. I think he just completely went into a tailspin, because he thought that was his masterpiece. And I did too. I really thought it was great, but I could hear the difference. I could hear the edge was gone. There was no edge on the vocals, there was no edge on the track, there was no edge on the piano. In fact we didn't have the piano that we started with which we used. That tack piano is key to the whole thing. If you listen to our first box set, it had a bunch of permutations of “Heroes And Villains.” And sonically you hear where it's going, and we just never get any closure. It's a lot of loose ends. So finally we got closure, but we lost the sonics part of it. We lost the value of the musicianship. Then I think we had these crummy instruments too. I think we had this Baldwin organ, a beautiful organ, I shouldn't say crummy. The Baldwin organ company decided to give Brian his organ, very nice. [/i]But Brian became so obsessed with this organ that everything became focused around this organ. The “Woody Woodpecker Symphony.” I don't know whether you've heard that one. [laughs] That was brilliant actually. I loved that. There, that one fit the organ. But every darn song on the album we had to have the organ on it.It was one of those very strange things. Brian got very quirky. And “Heroes And Villains” was played on that damn organ, and I didn't like that sound. It was just a bit much. I think that's where the musicianship became strange. Western Recorders is where I think we did the track for “Heroes” in studio three with this great tack piano. It could have been Columbia. Both studios were really important. I think we used Columbia more for the vocals for Pet Sounds and Smile and we used Western for the track.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on July 31, 2011, 10:36:59 PM
I love the organ overdubs on H&V. I think it fits the song really well.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Jay on August 01, 2011, 01:27:33 AM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?
Thanks for that info.  :) I think Elvis played one of these guitars on his 1968 Comeback special. I could never figure out why he was playing a Gibson with a Fender neck.  ;D


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Roger Ryan on August 01, 2011, 07:42:35 AM
I love the organ overdubs on H&V. I think it fits the song really well.

I agree with Al on this..."Heroes & Villains" just became a soupy mess. It wasn't all the organ's fault, but the re-recording done at the house and the mixing. As for that organ, I think the little fills at the end of the verses are charming, but the heavy chords on the chorus ruin the "Bicycle Rider" melody.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Micha on August 01, 2011, 08:53:48 AM
Brian insisted on using it on every song (which in Al's mind spoiled the recording of H&V)

I'm pretty certain that there's no organ on both Vegetables and Whistle In.

I listened to the Party album today, and I thought that it sounded as loose as Smiley Smile does. Was Brian going for a more unpolished sound à la Party with Smiley Smile?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 01, 2011, 09:15:04 AM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?
Thanks for that info.  :) I think Elvis played one of these guitars on his 1968 Comeback special. I could never figure out why he was playing a Gibson with a Fender neck.  ;D

Not to derail the discussion too far, but I love talking about this kind of thing! The guitar you're talking about from the '68 Comeback show was a Hagstrom Viking. It's a neat Elvis story for guitar fans, on how he came to play that in the TV special. The guitar belonged to session guitarist Al Casey, the same guy that's on handfuls of Beach Boys songs. He showed up to do a session with his crate full of instruments, and Hagstrom had given that Viking to Casey, so it was in his case but he didn't use it too much if at all for sessions. Elvis spotted the guitar and loved the look, much like Al Jardine's red Coronado it does have a striking design and color which is probably better than the guitar actually sounded and played! They thought it would look great on camera, so Elvis borrowed it from Al Casey for that show.

It's easy to mistake that Hagstrom for a Fender, especially with the Fender headstock and Coronado-style body. Here is a link to more info on that particular guitar:

http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html (http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html)

What I'm thinking after yesterday about Al Jardine's Fender Coronado XII is that it was a brand new model and design in 66-67, and at that same time the Beach Boys were prominent endorsers of Fender equipment, appearing in both print ads and radio-TV spots. Part of those endorsements included Fender offering the newest models to the artists to play and be seen and photographed with, so I'm guessing Jardine's custom-color 12-string may have been a result of that endorsement.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on August 01, 2011, 09:30:33 AM
Quote

What I'm thinking after yesterday about Al Jardine's Fender Coronado XII is that it was a brand new model and design in 66-67, and at that same time the Beach Boys were prominent endorsers of Fender equipment, appearing in both print ads and radio-TV spots. Part of those endorsements included Fender offering the newest models to the artists to play and be seen and photographed with, so I'm guessing Jardine's custom-color 12-string may have been a result of that endorsement.

And yet it was around this time that the band briefly got pretty into those Hofner and Hofner-copy basses, departing from the classical Fender Bass...


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on August 01, 2011, 09:40:37 AM
Brian insisted on using it on every song (which in Al's mind spoiled the recording of H&V)

I'm pretty certain that there's no organ on both Vegetables and Whistle In.

I listened to the Party album today, and I thought that it sounded as loose as Smiley Smile does. Was Brian going for a more unpolished sound à la Party with Smiley Smile?

I think there's an attempted organ overdub on Vegetables on the SOT set?  So they might have at least tried it on everything.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on August 01, 2011, 10:55:24 AM
It’s curious that with a newly acquired compact theater/cinema style organ, Brian consistently chose such a puny sound, which doesn’t even remotely resemble the organ’s typical sound, or come close to its full sound capabilities. Not that i think he would suddenly turn the Beach Boys into a Korla Pandit sounding record, but you’d think he’d have used a bigger sound than anything that ended up on Smiley Smile and Wild Honey, something more along the lines of the sound of the solo in When a Man Needs a Woman. I remember being really surprised when i first learned that the Baldwin was what was on those two records because, to me, it sounded cheap and tiny, like a Gem or something. This is not a complaint at all, as i really love the organ sounds and how they’re used on those two albums. It’s just an odd choice, which, of course, makes perfect sense in Beach Boys universe. 


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: rogerlancelot on August 01, 2011, 11:07:31 AM
Does anybody here know how Brian got the organ sounds on "A Day In The Life Of A Tree"? Sounds like a pipe organ or large theater organ. It certainly couldn't have been the Baldwin. Fantastic organ sounds by the way!


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: rogerlancelot on August 01, 2011, 11:16:10 AM
Brian insisted on using it on every song (which in Al's mind spoiled the recording of H&V)

I'm pretty certain that there's no organ on both Vegetables and Whistle In.

I listened to the Party album today, and I thought that it sounded as loose as Smiley Smile does. Was Brian going for a more unpolished sound à la Party with Smiley Smile?

I think there's an attempted organ overdub on Vegetables on the SOT set?  So they might have at least tried it on everything.

SOT 18 Track 20 (titled "Bass And Piano Track"). Piano in left channel, bass in the middle and organ in the right. Not much of an attempt really but it's there.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on August 01, 2011, 12:21:21 PM
Does anybody here know how Brian got the organ sounds on "A Day In The Life Of A Tree"? Sounds like a pipe organ or large theater organ. It certainly couldn't have been the Baldwin. Fantastic organ sounds by the way!

Basically, they brought in a pipe organ.  Desper details it in his book.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: DonnyL on August 01, 2011, 12:34:49 PM
It’s curious that with a newly acquired compact theater/cinema style organ, Brian consistently chose such a puny sound, which doesn’t even remotely resemble the organ’s typical sound, or come close to its full sound capabilities. Not that i think he would suddenly turn the Beach Boys into a Korla Pandit sounding record, but you’d think he’d have used a bigger sound than anything that ended up on Smiley Smile and Wild Honey, something more along the lines of the sound of the solo in When a Man Needs a Woman. I remember being really surprised when i first learned that the Baldwin was what was on those two records because, to me, it sounded cheap and tiny, like a Gem or something. This is not a complaint at all, as i really love the organ sounds and how they’re used on those two albums. It’s just an odd choice, which, of course, makes perfect sense in Beach Boys universe.  

i believe that's partially because it was a transistor organ (like a combo organ ... vox, farfisa, etc), not a hammond "tonewheel" organ.  but more importantly, Brian didn't use a leslie speaker on smiley smile or wild honey (for the most part, as far as i can hear).  the leslie returns on some tracks on friends ("when a man needs a woman").  

interesting in that "Smiley" also didn't really use much echo either, and didn't double track the vocals as much ... sometime attributed to the lack of a chamber, but i believe this to be more of a stylistic choice ... the new "dry" sounds continues through WILD HONEY and FRIENDS.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: SMiLE Brian on August 01, 2011, 12:36:59 PM
Brian should bring back the Baldwin and have him or one of his band members use it. The organ is so neat to listen to on smiley smile and Lei'd in Hawaii.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Mikie on August 01, 2011, 12:43:26 PM
I like the Hammond B-3 with the Leslie speaker option.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Micha on August 01, 2011, 01:46:04 PM
Brian insisted on using it on every song (which in Al's mind spoiled the recording of H&V)

I'm pretty certain that there's no organ on both Vegetables and Whistle In.

I listened to the Party album today, and I thought that it sounded as loose as Smiley Smile does. Was Brian going for a more unpolished sound à la Party with Smiley Smile?

I think there's an attempted organ overdub on Vegetables on the SOT set?  So they might have at least tried it on everything.

SOT 18 Track 20 (titled "Bass And Piano Track"). Piano in left channel, bass in the middle and organ in the right. Not much of an attempt really but it's there.

I never had listened to that before. You're right, this can hardly even be called an attempt and is not the basic track that was eventually used. But it is an interesting step towards the final version. It even seems to still use Sleep A Lot as the tag.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on August 01, 2011, 03:25:47 PM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Chris Brown on August 01, 2011, 04:12:03 PM
I love the organ overdubs on H&V. I think it fits the song really well.

I agree with Al on this..."Heroes & Villains" just became a soupy mess. It wasn't all the organ's fault, but the re-recording done at the house and the mixing. As for that organ, I think the little fills at the end of the verses are charming, but the heavy chords on the chorus ruin the "Bicycle Rider" melody.

I'm with Al too - all the dynamics and excitement of the "Cantina" version were sucked out of the single mix.  Brian had worked so long and hard on the track, spent so much time fishing for inspiration that he lost all objectivity and actually thought that he was improving the track by taking it to the home studio and overdubbing the Baldwin (again, not the only culprit, more symptomatic of the bigger issue of finishing the recording at the home studio).

It's unfortunate too, because I think he had all the "right" pieces already recorded, but he could never stitch them together in a way that satisfied him for too long, and he just didn't know when to stop recording/re-recording and adding to the mess.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Myk Luhv on August 01, 2011, 04:24:25 PM
I don't really find the lyrics to "When A Man Needs A Woman" surprising given the social context of pop music then (and still now), let alone the wider culture too. Most Americans still overwhelmingly desire male children and it is the assumed default even today. (Of course, it's not as if you could ever say The Beach Boys or any of them are feminists either but then neither are most people!) Nevertheless, I do find it awkward to listen to considering he ended up having two daughters... Plus, it's heteronormative and all that -- though I do still like the song. It's not as awful as "Hey Little Tomboy" at least~


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: hypehat on August 01, 2011, 04:44:15 PM
I find it kinda funny that he wrote that and had two daughters....

I don't think it's very horrifying, really. Hell, I'd like a son. I'd like a daughter too, but they are two different relationships, though still obviously loved by the father as their child. You could very well say that Brian wanted a better relationship with his own son than Murry had with him, although that's ridiculous speculation. As is the topic at hand...


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Jay on August 01, 2011, 06:57:26 PM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?
Thanks for that info.  :) I think Elvis played one of these guitars on his 1968 Comeback special. I could never figure out why he was playing a Gibson with a Fender neck.  ;D

Not to derail the discussion too far, but I love talking about this kind of thing! The guitar you're talking about from the '68 Comeback show was a Hagstrom Viking. It's a neat Elvis story for guitar fans, on how he came to play that in the TV special. The guitar belonged to session guitarist Al Casey, the same guy that's on handfuls of Beach Boys songs. He showed up to do a session with his crate full of instruments, and Hagstrom had given that Viking to Casey, so it was in his case but he didn't use it too much if at all for sessions. Elvis spotted the guitar and loved the look, much like Al Jardine's red Coronado it does have a striking design and color which is probably better than the guitar actually sounded and played! They thought it would look great on camera, so Elvis borrowed it from Al Casey for that show.

It's easy to mistake that Hagstrom for a Fender, especially with the Fender headstock and Coronado-style body. Here is a link to more info on that particular guitar:

http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html (http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html)

What I'm thinking after yesterday about Al Jardine's Fender Coronado XII is that it was a brand new model and design in 66-67, and at that same time the Beach Boys were prominent endorsers of Fender equipment, appearing in both print ads and radio-TV spots. Part of those endorsements included Fender offering the newest models to the artists to play and be seen and photographed with, so I'm guessing Jardine's custom-color 12-string may have been a result of that endorsement.
Thanks very much for that info! I always thought that guitar did look cool on the '68 Comeback Special. Do you happen to know of a good example of a song that has a Hangstrom Viking or Fender Coronado XII being played? Before a read about it in this thread, I hadn't heard of either guitar. I'm kind of curios about some of the more obscure guitars, like the Fender Jaguar, Mustang, Du Sonic, etc.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Jay on August 01, 2011, 08:15:15 PM
Does anybody here know how Brian got the organ sounds on "A Day In The Life Of A Tree"? Sounds like a pipe organ or large theater organ. It certainly couldn't have been the Baldwin. Fantastic organ sounds by the way!
One of my all time favorite Beach Boys moments is in "A Day In The Life of A Tree". I love the organ changes during the line "But now my branches suffer". I call it the "silent movie organ".  ;D


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 02, 2011, 09:24:39 AM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?
Thanks for that info.  :) I think Elvis played one of these guitars on his 1968 Comeback special. I could never figure out why he was playing a Gibson with a Fender neck.  ;D

Not to derail the discussion too far, but I love talking about this kind of thing! The guitar you're talking about from the '68 Comeback show was a Hagstrom Viking. It's a neat Elvis story for guitar fans, on how he came to play that in the TV special. The guitar belonged to session guitarist Al Casey, the same guy that's on handfuls of Beach Boys songs. He showed up to do a session with his crate full of instruments, and Hagstrom had given that Viking to Casey, so it was in his case but he didn't use it too much if at all for sessions. Elvis spotted the guitar and loved the look, much like Al Jardine's red Coronado it does have a striking design and color which is probably better than the guitar actually sounded and played! They thought it would look great on camera, so Elvis borrowed it from Al Casey for that show.

It's easy to mistake that Hagstrom for a Fender, especially with the Fender headstock and Coronado-style body. Here is a link to more info on that particular guitar:

http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html (http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html)

What I'm thinking after yesterday about Al Jardine's Fender Coronado XII is that it was a brand new model and design in 66-67, and at that same time the Beach Boys were prominent endorsers of Fender equipment, appearing in both print ads and radio-TV spots. Part of those endorsements included Fender offering the newest models to the artists to play and be seen and photographed with, so I'm guessing Jardine's custom-color 12-string may have been a result of that endorsement.
Thanks very much for that info! I always thought that guitar did look cool on the '68 Comeback Special. Do you happen to know of a good example of a song that has a Hangstrom Viking or Fender Coronado XII being played? Before a read about it in this thread, I hadn't heard of either guitar. I'm kind of curios about some of the more obscure guitars, like the Fender Jaguar, Mustang, Du Sonic, etc.

Offhand I can't think of any specific studio songs which used either guitar for an example, and that might say a lot about the opinions players have of them! They may be the most cool looking guitars and the most visually striking designs but they usually don't play as well and they don't sound as good overall as their more familiar counterparts like the Gibson 335, Strat/Tele, etc. But some modern players use them and they sound just fine, at least live where the details aren't as important as in the studio. Recently I've seen some guitarists and singer-songwriters with Coronados and other offbeat guitars like that. I don't know if it's a trend like Cobain started with the Mustangs and Jaguars, or Jack White started with his pawn shop guitars. They do look cool.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: harveyw on August 02, 2011, 02:53:40 PM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?
Thanks for that info.  :) I think Elvis played one of these guitars on his 1968 Comeback special. I could never figure out why he was playing a Gibson with a Fender neck.  ;D

Not to derail the discussion too far, but I love talking about this kind of thing! The guitar you're talking about from the '68 Comeback show was a Hagstrom Viking. It's a neat Elvis story for guitar fans, on how he came to play that in the TV special. The guitar belonged to session guitarist Al Casey, the same guy that's on handfuls of Beach Boys songs. He showed up to do a session with his crate full of instruments, and Hagstrom had given that Viking to Casey, so it was in his case but he didn't use it too much if at all for sessions. Elvis spotted the guitar and loved the look, much like Al Jardine's red Coronado it does have a striking design and color which is probably better than the guitar actually sounded and played! They thought it would look great on camera, so Elvis borrowed it from Al Casey for that show.

It's easy to mistake that Hagstrom for a Fender, especially with the Fender headstock and Coronado-style body. Here is a link to more info on that particular guitar:

http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html (http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html)

What I'm thinking after yesterday about Al Jardine's Fender Coronado XII is that it was a brand new model and design in 66-67, and at that same time the Beach Boys were prominent endorsers of Fender equipment, appearing in both print ads and radio-TV spots. Part of those endorsements included Fender offering the newest models to the artists to play and be seen and photographed with, so I'm guessing Jardine's custom-color 12-string may have been a result of that endorsement.
Thanks very much for that info! I always thought that guitar did look cool on the '68 Comeback Special. Do you happen to know of a good example of a song that has a Hangstrom Viking or Fender Coronado XII being played? Before a read about it in this thread, I hadn't heard of either guitar. I'm kind of curios about some of the more obscure guitars, like the Fender Jaguar, Mustang, Du Sonic, etc.
I'm inclined to think that Al's guitar is actually a Baldwin 712.
http://www.terrym.co.uk/1website/page17.htm


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Mark H. on August 02, 2011, 08:59:21 PM
Does it come with the organ as a matched set?   ;D


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Andrew G. Doe on August 03, 2011, 02:13:54 AM
Does anybody here know how Brian got the organ sounds on "A Day In The Life Of A Tree"? Sounds like a pipe organ or large theater organ. It certainly couldn't have been the Baldwin. Fantastic organ sounds by the way!

Sure - Steve Desper explained when I interviewed him back in '85. I'll dig it out and post the relevant bits. There's a picture of said organ in David Leaf's book, the one with Carl sat on the floor next to it, p. 169 of the 1985 edition. It's a pump organ, not the Baldwin.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Loaf on August 03, 2011, 03:25:24 AM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.

Why does the song have to be about Brian Wilson's exact personal life? A songwriter or singer can create a song that is separate from the creator. Sure there are plenty of overlaps, but if it bothers you so much just take the song as about a character Brian Wilson is singing about.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 03, 2011, 08:28:37 AM
What kind of guitar is Al playing in that group picture? The body looks like a Gibson, but the neck sure doesn't. Maybe it's just the odd angle of the picture.

That is a Fender Coronado Electric XII, 12-string electric guitar. The giveaway is the headstock,  which looks like a hockey stick - that's a trademark of 60's Fender 12-string electrics. It looks like a Gibson or Epiphone because Fender was looking for a design to compete with Gibson's 335 thin semi-hollowbody design which was popular, as was Epiphone's. Notice the headstock color matches the body, that was a custom-color option too which not many of them got.  It's not a really valuable guitar model to collectors and not really a good playing guitar either by their reputation, but I think collectors like the look and the colors of them.

I wonder what happened to that guitar, has anyone ever seen Al playing it since Hawaii 1967?
Thanks for that info.  :) I think Elvis played one of these guitars on his 1968 Comeback special. I could never figure out why he was playing a Gibson with a Fender neck.  ;D

Not to derail the discussion too far, but I love talking about this kind of thing! The guitar you're talking about from the '68 Comeback show was a Hagstrom Viking. It's a neat Elvis story for guitar fans, on how he came to play that in the TV special. The guitar belonged to session guitarist Al Casey, the same guy that's on handfuls of Beach Boys songs. He showed up to do a session with his crate full of instruments, and Hagstrom had given that Viking to Casey, so it was in his case but he didn't use it too much if at all for sessions. Elvis spotted the guitar and loved the look, much like Al Jardine's red Coronado it does have a striking design and color which is probably better than the guitar actually sounded and played! They thought it would look great on camera, so Elvis borrowed it from Al Casey for that show.

It's easy to mistake that Hagstrom for a Fender, especially with the Fender headstock and Coronado-style body. Here is a link to more info on that particular guitar:

http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html (http://www.scottymoore.net/ep68hagstrom.html)

What I'm thinking after yesterday about Al Jardine's Fender Coronado XII is that it was a brand new model and design in 66-67, and at that same time the Beach Boys were prominent endorsers of Fender equipment, appearing in both print ads and radio-TV spots. Part of those endorsements included Fender offering the newest models to the artists to play and be seen and photographed with, so I'm guessing Jardine's custom-color 12-string may have been a result of that endorsement.
Thanks very much for that info! I always thought that guitar did look cool on the '68 Comeback Special. Do you happen to know of a good example of a song that has a Hangstrom Viking or Fender Coronado XII being played? Before a read about it in this thread, I hadn't heard of either guitar. I'm kind of curios about some of the more obscure guitars, like the Fender Jaguar, Mustang, Du Sonic, etc.
I'm inclined to think that Al's guitar is actually a Baldwin 712.
http://www.terrym.co.uk/1website/page17.htm

What makes you so inclined to think that? ;D

Seriously, that could be it, that's a great observation. Going from the photo on page one it looked like the "hockey stick" headstock from a Fender, but that could have been the angle of that shot. I'm looking for more shots of it but it would make sense if Baldwin gave Brian an organ, a guitar could have been added to the gifts...

Maybe Baldwin was trying to woo the band into a sponsorship away from Fender. Baldwin tried to buy Fender in '65 but failed and was outbid by CBS. Maybe they were trying to win over Fender endorsees by giving them free stuff... :-D



Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 03, 2011, 09:31:36 AM
My credit and thanks to Harvey - that's definitely a Baldwin. Cheers!  :)  I looked at some of the Hawaii film and the other angles of the film show that headstock as a Baldwin, without a doubt. I'm curious how you did the detective work on that guitar. I went from that one photo I found, it looked like a Fender headstock from that angle and would have bet the farm on it. Turns out it wasn't that way at all, and the Baldwin is the correct answer. Very, very good stuff.

It's curious that - so far at least - I haven't seen a photo or film of Al actually *performing* with that guitar. He's only shown with it in the rehearsals.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Iron Horse-Apples on August 03, 2011, 03:09:31 PM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy.

"You know it makes you nervous whilst you wait for your daughter
You wait nine months for your wife to break water"

or

"You know it makes you nervous whilst you wait for your girl
You wait nine months for that afterbirth smell"

I think it was poetic license. Boy rhymes with joy

Also known as a creative decision.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Mr. Cohen on August 03, 2011, 03:13:02 PM
Poppycock!

You know it makes you nervous
When you wait for your girl
You wait nine months for her to enter the world


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Ebb and Flow on August 03, 2011, 03:45:58 PM
Regarding the info about Murry giving the Baldwin to Brian as a birthday gift...Brian specifically refers to the gift as a "pipe organ" in this melody maker piece from October, 1966.

(http://i.imgur.com/cF4Nx.jpg)


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on August 03, 2011, 04:20:54 PM
Why does the song have to be about Brian Wilson's exact personal life? A songwriter or singer can create a song that is separate from the creator. Sure there are plenty of overlaps, but if it bothers you so much just take the song as about a character Brian Wilson is singing about.

Excellent point. Though that still leaves the rest of the lyrics.


Regarding the info about Murry giving the Baldwin to Brian as a birthday gift...Brian specifically refers to the gift as a "pipe organ" in this melody maker piece from October, 1966.

Wait, so he had a PIPE ORGAN in his home?


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Ebb and Flow on August 03, 2011, 04:28:52 PM
Regarding the info about Murry giving the Baldwin to Brian as a birthday gift...Brian specifically refers to the gift as a "pipe organ" in this melody maker piece from October, 1966.

Wait, so he had a PIPE ORGAN in his home?

I doubt he meant a full-sized pipe organ, but "pipe organ" is not what I'd use to describe the sound of the Baldwin, even as a casual descriptor.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Jonas on August 03, 2011, 09:41:57 PM
lei'd in hawaii? more like lei'd in (http://i.imgur.com/5DhHo.gif)


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Dunderhead on August 03, 2011, 10:07:46 PM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.

This is a really good point that I too noticed a while back. I believe in the Jack Rieley comments he says that Brian didn't want girls. That Murry was a real man because he had sired three boys, while anyone who couldn't produce a male heir was not a "real" man. So he recorded that song and just over a month later he had a girl. There's something kind of depressing about that.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Roger Ryan on August 04, 2011, 05:31:36 AM
Not as depressing as taking an additional three times to get a son with his second marriage...and he was adopting! Poor guy didn't have any luck.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: ghost on August 04, 2011, 06:08:58 AM
Brian is Cosmos - why should he have a son? His lucky sperm made daughters - procreative wombs. It would offset the balance of the existential energies for Wilson to beget males. A pretty girl is worth a thousand boys, anyway.

Brian's genius is complete & reached its highest attainments years ago. Where is the need of a male heir? His real children are his songs and the children know the way.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 04, 2011, 07:45:42 AM
Regarding the info about Murry giving the Baldwin to Brian as a birthday gift...Brian specifically refers to the gift as a "pipe organ" in this melody maker piece from October, 1966.

With this information, combined with Al Jardine's comments about Baldwin giving Brian the "Theater Organ", is it possible to rule out the theory that the Baldwin was a gift from Murry? I think that's a safe bet to rule it out. And it's more interesting since some excellent research showed that Al was playing a Baldwin guitar in Hawaii - not exactly a first choice for a guitar in America, especially from a group of Fender endorsers. It all seems to line up somehow with a Baldwin connection, whether they were trying to sign the Beach Boys as an endorsement deal like Fender had done, or whether they were just a very generous company. I doubt the latter... :-D


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: monicker on August 04, 2011, 07:53:48 AM
Whoa, what if the Baldwin is all over Smiley, not because of a personal/creative/artistic decision, but because of a possible Baldwin endorsement deal?!

 


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 04, 2011, 08:09:03 AM
Whoa, what if the Baldwin is all over Smiley, not because of a personal/creative/artistic decision, but because of a possible Baldwin endorsement deal?!

 

Just as pure speculation, it opens up an interesting possibility. Why else would a company like Baldwin just give Brian Wilson an organ out of the blue like that if there were not an ulterior motive? Today it's celebrities getting gift bags and having "gift tents" at big media events where they're lavished with stuff from sponsors, but in 1967 why would a company with *no association* to the band decide to give him an instrument costing thousands?

One consideration is Baldwin's failure to buy Fender two years prior (1965), with CBS buying out Fender instead. Baldwin was trying to break into the same market as Fender and Gibson, so they bought the "Burns" company instead. And Burns made neat guitars and basses but were relatively unknown in the US. If Baldwin knew the Beach Boys were one of Fender's big-name endorsements, and Baldwin was trying to compete with Fender, they might try the age-old sales practice of "poaching" Fender's acts from them for similar endorsements.

The comparison I'm going with here is how Fender in late 68, after trying since 1964 along with other instrument makers, put an all-out push on The Beatles with their new instrument lines. They shipped cases full of gear, including George's custom-made Rosewood Telecaster, to the Beatles in an effort to gain an endorsement. And that's how you see all kinds of new Fender gear on the stage and on the rooftop during the Let It Be film.

Since Al also has that Baldwin guitar, I wouldn't rule the endorsement angle out completely until more info turns up.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Joshilyn Hoisington on August 04, 2011, 08:13:21 AM
Quote
They shipped cases full of gear, including George's custom-made Rosewood Telecaster, to the Beatles in an effort to gain an endorsement. And that's how you see all kinds of new Fender gear on the stage and on the rooftop during the Let It Be film.


Can you imagine what a different mental image we'd have of the Beatles if from day one, they had been Fender people?  Imaging them up on stage in '64, John strumming a Strat, George playing XII, Paul playing a P-bass, with a backline of Fender amps behind them...weird.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: guitarfool2002 on August 04, 2011, 08:23:48 AM
Quote
They shipped cases full of gear, including George's custom-made Rosewood Telecaster, to the Beatles in an effort to gain an endorsement. And that's how you see all kinds of new Fender gear on the stage and on the rooftop during the Let It Be film.


Can you imagine what a different mental image we'd have of the Beatles if from day one, they had been Fender people?  Imaging them up on stage in '64, John strumming a Strat, George playing XII, Paul playing a P-bass, with a backline of Fender amps behind them...weird.

Absolutely, yes, that is a great point and it would have been different, perhaps not as unique despite the music. Part of the Beatles mystique was the fact that they played really odd guitars which no other major pop acts were using in that prominent a way, and their instruments and the sounds from them became as much a part of their image and mystique as their hair and suits, especially that first impression in 63-64. George loved Gretsch because he was a rockabilly fan to the core, John bought the Rickenbacker because no one else had one, and Paul got the Hofner because he could flip it over and play left handed comfortably, after deciding Fender basses were too expensive. Very "practical" reasons, but look what happened!

As a result, I understand musical instrument companies were literally battling each other to score a Beatles endorsement. That first Sullivan show in '64 created a *massive* sales spike for the companies whose guitars they were seen playing. It was like hitting the lottery for Rickenbacker, Gretsch, Hofner, etc. The demand was almost instant. It's ironic that Fender finally broke through and landed such a deal just as the Beatles were falling apart!




Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: runnersdialzero on August 04, 2011, 10:31:57 AM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.

Hi, are you aware of how ridiculous this is? Are you high? I don't evenasDjfvasihfasdughnaj


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: ghost on August 04, 2011, 10:34:52 AM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.

Hi, are you aware of how ridiculous this is? Are you high? I don't evenasDjfvasihfasdughnaj

Dude, this whole board is ridiculous and so are all of us. Brian would freak out if he knew how obsessed we all are with him.



Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Andrew G. Doe on August 04, 2011, 10:36:27 AM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.

Hi, are you aware of how ridiculous this is? Are you high? I don't evenasDjfvasihfasdughnaj

Dude, this whole board is ridiculous and so are all of us. Brian would freak out if he knew how obsessed we all are with him.



He knows. He finds it all highly amusing.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: ghost on August 04, 2011, 10:48:30 AM
So if Brian knows about us pathological cases, is it not possible that his mysterious interview answers are just him messing with us? Yes, No, Maybe.



Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: harveyw on August 04, 2011, 02:46:19 PM
My credit and thanks to Harvey - that's definitely a Baldwin. Cheers!  :)  I looked at some of the Hawaii film and the other angles of the film show that headstock as a Baldwin, without a doubt. I'm curious how you did the detective work on that guitar. I went from that one photo I found, it looked like a Fender headstock from that angle and would have bet the farm on it. Turns out it wasn't that way at all, and the Baldwin is the correct answer. Very, very good stuff.

It's curious that - so far at least - I haven't seen a photo or film of Al actually *performing* with that guitar. He's only shown with it in the rehearsals.
Thanks! I'm very familiar with this model as I used to look longingly at it in shops on Denmark Street and go "ah...someday". It ticked all my guitar-requirement boxes at the time: 12-string, semi-acoustic, obscure-ish brand, cherry red. Then, when I could have easily afforded one (they were only £300 or so in the early 90s), went off and bought a Ricky 330-12 instead. Idiot; one of these (or a Baldwin/Burns Double-Six) would have been a much wiser investment. Might have stayed in tune a bit more reliably too.
I don't have the Hawaii footage to hand, but I don't remember Al playing one during the show either. Maybe he only played a 12-string on a couple of numbers in the set?
And yes, I'd been wondering about a BB/Baldwin sponsorship/endorsement deal too, though I've recently looked through hundreds of back issues of Billboard (pretty much a complete run from 65-70) for a book project I've been involved with, and didn't see a single "The Beach Boys play Baldwin!" (or similar) ad.


Title: Re: When did Brian stop using the Baldwin?
Post by: Dunderhead on August 04, 2011, 02:56:15 PM
On the subject of When a Man Needs a Woman--apologies for steering this thing in a completely different direction--putting aside the dubious ideas of complementarianism that are conveyed in the lyrics, is anyone else bothered by Brian having designated the sex of the baby a boy before knowing that he would, in fact, have two daughters? This has always bothered me. I imagine Brian probably didn't even consider the possibility that they might not even have a boy. Musically, the song is so great, but lyrically, in my opinion, it is actually one the most cringe worthy, embarrassing, and juvenile in their catalog. Wait, is that saying a lot or not saying much at all, considering the lyrical quality of their output? Granted, i'm not familiar with anything past 1977. I don't know, i kind of wish the song was about apples or a toothbrush or something. But then it wouldn't really be the Beach Boys, would it. Or maybe it would, who knows. I'm curious, actually, about the different ways that you folks around here justify to yourselves, in general, the egregious lyrics that are set to earth shattering, mind blowing music. I can't figure out how i myself do it, which is why i ask.

Hi, are you aware of how ridiculous this is? Are you high? I don't evenasDjfvasihfasdughnaj

Read:
Herzensergießungen eines kunstliebenden Klosterbruders - Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder & Ludwig Tieck, 1797