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Smiley Smile Stuff => General On Topic Discussions => Topic started by: NateRuvin on June 26, 2015, 07:44:58 PM



Title: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NateRuvin on June 26, 2015, 07:44:58 PM
What instruments can each member play??
Mike- Umm…….. Saxophone and probably a bit of guitar?
Brian- Bass, Keys, and apparently guitar (Breakaway?) and Drums (Funky Pretty?)
Carl- Guitar, Bass, Keys
Denny- Drums, Keys
Al- Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Ukulele--- Any string instrument??
Bruce- Bass, Keys, Guitar (1984 July 4th), Saxophone (Clips all throughout the 80's), and even Mandolin? (Disney Girls)
David- Guitar (A MASTER OF THE GUITAR, WHILE I'M AT IT)
Blondie- Guitar, Bass
Ricky- Drums, Slide Guitar

Am I missing anything?


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Jon Stebbins on June 26, 2015, 09:43:19 PM
Carl played drums on a few things, Dennis played marimbas, harmonica, a little guitar on a couple things, Al plays banjo and a bit of keyboards, Dave plays drums, keyboards, bass. Most of those guys can pick up any instrument and get something useful out of it.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NateRuvin on June 26, 2015, 10:44:16 PM
Wow, it's extremely ironic I just got a response from you. I just finished your FAQ book, and the Concert book is in the mail!


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Magic Transistor Radio on June 27, 2015, 09:08:42 AM
Mike played that electro therimin thingy and have heard je can play some bass. And more cow bell! I mean sleigh bell.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: SBonilla on June 27, 2015, 09:21:57 AM
What instruments can each member play??

Ricky- Drums, Slide Guitar


I saw him play the flute intro to Sloop John B.
I have to assume he plays guitar in addition to the Steel.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NateRuvin on June 27, 2015, 09:24:40 AM
What instruments can each member play??

Ricky- Drums, Slide Guitar


I saw him play the flute intro to Sloop John B.
I have to assume he plays guitar in addition to the Steel.

Wow! Now, thats impressive!


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: c-man on June 27, 2015, 09:34:47 AM
Ricky is extremely versatile - drums, flute, guitar, pedal steel guitar (all onstage with The Beach Boys), keyboards (the Moog solo on "Leaving This Town"), bass and sitar (in The Rutles).

Carl played ukulele on a few things (among them "Little Pad", "Good Time" and probably "Loop de Loop").


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NateRuvin on June 27, 2015, 09:43:37 AM
How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NHC on June 27, 2015, 09:56:57 AM
Ricky played accordion on Box Scaggs' "Sierra" from the "Some Change" album in 1994, along with organ and keyboards.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: c-man on June 27, 2015, 09:58:50 AM
How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)

Brian's aptitude on guitar is surely minimal. He can probably play a few very basic chords and pick out some melody lines, but I don't think he played very much on record...just "After The Game" (the melody line), "Heroes And Villains" (alternate tag - the one where Carl sings a live scat - Brian strummed the 12-string Rickenbacker while Van Dyke formed the chords), and "Where Is She" (picking out melodic lines on the 12-string). Reportedly, he played rhythm guitar onstage when The Boys backed Joan Baez on a mostly a capella "Amazing Grace" at a Cambodian refugee relief benefit concert in Oakland, January 1980.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Marty Castillo on June 27, 2015, 09:59:34 AM
How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)
Recent interviews and Q&As have him claiming he doesn't know how to play guitar.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Moon Dawg on June 27, 2015, 11:51:44 AM
How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)
Recent interviews and Q&As have him claiming he doesn't know how to play guitar.

  He knows a few chords for sure.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Moon Dawg on June 27, 2015, 11:52:26 AM
What instruments can each member play??
Mike- Umm…….. Saxophone and probably a bit of guitar?
Brian- Bass, Keys, and apparently guitar (Breakaway?) and Drums (Funky Pretty?)
Carl- Guitar, Bass, Keys
Denny- Drums, Keys
Al- Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Ukulele--- Any string instrument??
Bruce- Bass, Keys, Guitar (1984 July 4th), Saxophone (Clips all throughout the 80's), and even Mandolin? (Disney Girls)
David- Guitar (A MASTER OF THE GUITAR, WHILE I'M AT IT)
Blondie- Guitar, Bass
Ricky- Drums, Slide Guitar

Am I missing anything?


  Mike - tambourine   


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: CenturyDeprived on June 27, 2015, 12:01:52 PM
Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Bill M on June 27, 2015, 01:14:22 PM
A few years ago, someone on this board posted a link to a stock footage clip that absolutely fascinated me.  In the clip, you see the band jamming in an empty auditorium in the early 70s. Unfortunately, there's no sound. Personnel was as follows:

Ricky on electric guitar
Ed Carter on electric guitar
Carl on bass guitar
Daryl Dragon on keyboards
Blondie on the drum kit

I believe Blondie played a bit of drums & piano with the Flame & also on his solo album.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Wirestone on June 27, 2015, 01:41:14 PM
Brian is an adequate drummer. There's footage in the Nashville Sounds doc of him playing the Be My Baby intro. And he plays some on the Love You tracks, right?


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Jukka on June 27, 2015, 01:46:36 PM
Is it or is it not Brian playing the drums on "Wanderer" on their first live album? That's some really solid drumming.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: SBonilla on June 27, 2015, 01:47:33 PM
I have played a couple of instruments well. I have played another couple, terribly. I have played numerous instruments as one offs in recording situations.

We should ask which of the past and present members have the most technical and musical proficiency.

Top of my list of the most technically proficient would be: Bruce, Ricky and David.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: SBonilla on June 27, 2015, 01:49:26 PM
Brian is an adequate drummer. There's footage in the Nashville Sounds doc of him playing the Be My Baby intro. And he plays some on the Love You tracks, right?

If you count hitting a snare on two and four, then, yes, he played drums on Love You.  Actually he does play a simple snare fill on Let Us Go On This Way.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Jon Stebbins on June 27, 2015, 03:31:44 PM
Wow, it's extremely ironic I just got a response from you. I just finished your FAQ book, and the Concert book is in the mail!
Great! Hope you enjoy/ed them!


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NHC on June 27, 2015, 04:48:25 PM
How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)

Brian's aptitude on guitar is surely minimal. He can probably play a few very basic chords and pick out some melody lines, but I don't think he played very much on record...just "After The Game" (the melody line), "Heroes And Villains" (alternate tag - the one where Carl sings a live scat - Brian strummed the 12-string Rickenbacker while Van Dyke formed the chords), and "Where Is She" (picking out melodic lines on the 12-string). Reportedly, he played rhythm guitar onstage when The Boys backed Joan Baez on a mostly a capella "Amazing Grace" at a Cambodian refugee relief benefit concert in Oakland, January 1980.

I was at that Oakland show and don't remember that, not to say he didn't.  He mostly sat at a keyboard and on one song, maybe Rhonda, traded places with Bruce who was at his usual smaller rig. Joan Baez opened and The Boys followed.  They didn't stick around for the after-show get-together all the attendees were invited to since they were on their way to Lake Tahoe for a gig there.  The bill included Jefferson Airplane (or Starship, I guess), Santana, and the Grateful Dead. We left midway through Starship as we had a two and a half drive north. A few days later my dad told me that a family friend, who had worked for the Dead and helped build their sound stage set-up, was there as an official photographer and would have got us backstage passes had he known we were there. Sob.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Komera on June 27, 2015, 04:55:55 PM
What instruments can each member play??
Mike- Umm…….. Saxophone and probably a bit of guitar?
Brian- Bass, Keys, and apparently guitar (Breakaway?) and Drums (Funky Pretty?)
Carl- Guitar, Bass, Keys
Denny- Drums, Keys
Al- Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Ukulele--- Any string instrument??
Bruce- Bass, Keys, Guitar (1984 July 4th), Saxophone (Clips all throughout the 80's), and even Mandolin? (Disney Girls)
David- Guitar (A MASTER OF THE GUITAR, WHILE I'M AT IT)
Blondie- Guitar, Bass
Ricky- Drums, Slide Guitar

Am I missing anything?

I went through all the Wiki pages on BB songs (didn't take as long as it sounds, since not all the songs had Wiki pages, not all of the ones that did led to the BB version of the song, and not all of the ones that did lead to BB versions had a list of who did what) and here's every instrument Wiki attributes to them:

Mike- saxophone, tambourine, electro-Theremin, percussion
Brian- bass guitar, organ,  piano, harpsichord, xylophones or marimba, dog whistles, vibraphone, keyboard, Roxichord, percussion, harmonica, harmonium, snare drum,  ARP synthesizer, drums,  ARP String Ensemble, guitar, chimes, bells
Carl- guitar, twelve-string guitar, Fender bass,  organ, tambourine, moog, harpsichord, percussion, drums, piano, acoustic guitar,  synthesizer, harp, keyboards
Denny- drums, tambourine, hi-hat, organ, percussion, Moog, vibraphone, Piano
Al- bass guitar, guitar,  tambourine(maybe), water bottle, acoustic guitar,  Moog, banjo, whistle
Bruce- piano, organ, celesta, bass guitar, moog bass, mandolin, keyboards
David- guitar
Blondie- bass guitar, guitar
Ricky- drums, percussion, guitar, pedal steel guitar, flute

 I omitted "handclaps", "spoken word", "laughter", and "sound effects".
There were about six thousand different pianos, organs, and keyboards listed.  They've been compressed into simply "piano", "organ", and "keyboard".


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: DennysDrums83 on June 27, 2015, 06:14:36 PM
A few years ago, someone on this board posted a link to a stock footage clip that absolutely fascinated me.  In the clip, you see the band jamming in an empty auditorium in the early 70s. Unfortunately, there's no sound. Personnel was as follows:

Ricky on electric guitar
Ed Carter on electric guitar
Carl on bass guitar
Daryl Dragon on keyboards
Blondie on the drum kit

I believe Blondie played a bit of drums & piano with the Flame & also on his solo album.

Is that clip still available?  Would love to see it.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Bill M on June 27, 2015, 08:35:58 PM
A few years ago, someone on this board posted a link to a stock footage clip that absolutely fascinated me.  In the clip, you see the band jamming in an empty auditorium in the early 70s. Unfortunately, there's no sound. Personnel was as follows:

Ricky on electric guitar
Ed Carter on electric guitar
Carl on bass guitar
Daryl Dragon on keyboards
Blondie on the drum kit

I believe Blondie played a bit of drums & piano with the Flame & also on his solo album.

Is that clip still available?  Would love to see it.

http://www.footagefinders.com/clip.php?id=45125&search_string=man%E2&startrow=0 (http://www.footagefinders.com/clip.php?id=45125&search_string=man%E2&startrow=0)

Try this link. I forgot to mention that Dennis Dragon is on percussion too.


Title:
Post by: zachrwolfe on June 27, 2015, 10:09:24 PM


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Andrew G. Doe on June 28, 2015, 12:36:20 AM
How proficient was Brian on the guitar? He really was a good bass player (despite his odd technique)

Brian's aptitude on guitar is surely minimal. He can probably play a few very basic chords and pick out some melody lines, but I don't think he played very much on record...just "After The Game" (the melody line), "Heroes And Villains" (alternate tag - the one where Carl sings a live scat - Brian strummed the 12-string Rickenbacker while Van Dyke formed the chords), and "Where Is She" (picking out melodic lines on the 12-string). Reportedly, he played rhythm guitar onstage when The Boys backed Joan Baez on a mostly a capella "Amazing Grace" at a Cambodian refugee relief benefit concert in Oakland, January 1980.

I was at that Oakland show and don't remember that, not to say he didn't.  He mostly sat at a keyboard and on one song, maybe Rhonda, traded places with Bruce who was at his usual smaller rig. Joan Baez opened and The Boys followed.  They didn't stick around for the after-show get-together all the attendees were invited to since they were on their way to Lake Tahoe for a gig there.  The bill included Jefferson Airplane (or Starship, I guess), Santana, and the Grateful Dead. We left midway through Starship as we had a two and a half drive north. A few days later my dad told me that a family friend, who had worked for the Dead and helped build their sound stage set-up, was there as an official photographer and would have got us backstage passes had he known we were there. Sob.

Beg to differ - I wasn't there, but I've seen a photo (Rolling Stone ?) of the Boys with Joan, and Brian had a six-string acoustic over his shoulder. Not saying he was playing it much, but...

Oh, and the Tahoe gig was two days later.  ;D


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Andrew G. Doe on June 28, 2015, 12:43:12 AM
Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".  ;D  The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Moon Dawg on June 28, 2015, 07:36:03 AM
  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: c-man on June 28, 2015, 08:05:09 AM
  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Jon Stebbins on June 28, 2015, 09:20:55 AM
Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".  ;D  The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...
Dave was the drummer whenever Dennis came up front until 10/63.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NHC on June 28, 2015, 09:45:25 AM
"Beg to differ - I wasn't there, but I've seen a photo (Rolling Stone ?) of the Boys with Joan, and Brian had a six-string acoustic over his shoulder. Not saying he was playing it much, but...

Oh, and the Tahoe gig was two days later.  "

AllI know is the emcee announced to the crowd that the Beach Boys would not be around for the after-concert festivities because they were leaving that night for Lake Tahoe immediately after the concert.  As for Brian and guitar, was that during her opening set, or was it at concert-end as a kind of closing number?  We weren't there for that, and I just don't remember it if it was earlier.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: adamghost on June 28, 2015, 11:48:33 AM
 Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

I'd personally say Bruce was the best keyboard player, and Carl was the best all-around instrumentalist.  Carl was the one guy who could actually do a Todd Rundgren thing and play EVERY instrument, not just sub out on keys (though he mostly did that anyway).  I would say Dennis was the most orthodox keyboardist of all of them - his writing style was very unique, but his playing style was very much in the balladeer/light rock tradition.  Bruce was very flourishy, whereas Brian and Carl were sledgehammers.  I remember when I first encountered their keyboard playing it was revelatory to me.  "Really?  You can just play quarter note chords the whole time?"

This is kind of straying off topic but I was listening to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On last night and it dawned on me what a huge influence that album had to have been on Dennis.  So much of the DNA of his '70s stuff that you can't quite put your finger on is right there.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: harrisonjon on June 28, 2015, 02:21:30 PM
As AGD has noted elsewhere, Brian sometimes played drums if Dennis was singing a lead


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: petsoundsnola on June 28, 2015, 04:50:04 PM
Brian has been known to play the Studio on occasion.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: SBonilla on June 28, 2015, 04:55:56 PM
Brian has been known to play the Studio on occasion.

As Duke Ellington played the orchestra.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: NateRuvin on July 06, 2015, 08:22:11 AM
  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

I'd have to say the best keyboardist is Bruce. Listen to the Nearest Faraway Place live or the intro to Endless Harmony! Bruce sure knew his way around a piano. Brian was a great keyboardist too- his organ solos on the early 60's records really rock. Carl was a good keyboardist as well, he played on a lot of 70's and 80's records. So here's my question- how good was Denny on the keys? On many videos I've seen, he seems to be playing minimal parts, or his keyboard is inaudible.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: adamghost on July 06, 2015, 10:54:08 AM
  Best keyboard player: Brian, Dennis, Carl? Or Bruce?

I would say, for classic technical aptitude, Bruce, then Dennis (and Bruce taught Dennis some things on piano). For inventiveness of chord patterns (based on Adam Marsland's observations), Carl. For total harmonic mastery, Brian. But their styles were fundamentally different: out of the four, Bruce and Dennis were the ones who would often play arpeggios and melodic lines, while Brian and Carl almost always played straight right-hand block chords with left-hand bass lines.

FYI, Bruce once told me (in person) that Billy Hinsche was hands-down the best piano player the band ever had...next to Brian.

I'd have to say the best keyboardist is Bruce. Listen to the Nearest Faraway Place live or the intro to Endless Harmony! Bruce sure knew his way around a piano. Brian was a great keyboardist too- his organ solos on the early 60's records really rock. Carl was a good keyboardist as well, he played on a lot of 70's and 80's records. So here's my question- how good was Denny on the keys? On many videos I've seen, he seems to be playing minimal parts, or his keyboard is inaudible.

He's the only keyboard player on POB I believe, so I'd say pretty good.  Very good feel on the piano.


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: Magic Transistor Radio on July 23, 2015, 04:25:47 PM
Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".  ;D  The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...
Dave was the drummer whenever Dennis came up front until 10/63.

Oh wow! I was about to ask about everything Dave could play. Hasn't he played bass as well? So we've got guitar, bass and drums. Can he play piano?


Title: Re: What instruments can each member play?
Post by: c-man on July 23, 2015, 04:49:33 PM
Someone on facebook awhile back posted a pic from circa 1964/5 of Brian playing the drums onstage at a BB show, while Denny was upfront. So that happened in concert presumably at least a few times...

Every time Denny sang "The Wanderer".  ;D  The pic, if it was a really really grainy one, was from 2/13/65, NY Academy of Music. Both shows were filmed by a German TV crew. Damn, that would be something to unearth...
Dave was the drummer whenever Dennis came up front until 10/63.

Oh wow! I was about to ask about everything Dave could play. Hasn't he played bass as well? So we've got guitar, bass and drums. Can he play piano?

Dave has said that he learned boogie-woogie piano from Audree, the same as her sons did.