The Smiley Smile Message Board

On several songs there is background chatter on them, i.e. Here Today during the solo, the intro on Do it Again, Then I kissed her has something like a whistle towards the end of the song.
Is there a reason for leaving these things on there? Brian and the engineers must have known at the time?
I have noticed though that on the CD version of the Surfin' Safari album between the last two tracks the interference from another studio has been removed, I used to have it on my old vinyl version.

I've read that for example on Here Today there was simply to little time to finetune several tracks of Pet Sounds as Capitol wanted a new product real badly. It was said at some point (but I doubt if this is the (only) reason) that Let's Go Away For Awhile did have lyrics but that those weren't recorded because of lack of time. For other tracks I don't know the reason. Check out the mumbling during the instrumental break on Wendy or Al saying something like "Oh sh**" during the fade out of Honkin' Down The Highway...

There used to be a great website around: Dauber's Li'l Beach Boys Page. But that one unfortunately is not active anymore (check: http://www.banana-and-louie.org/). One of the interesting topics on here was "Don't Talk: Noises and Oddities in Beach Boys Recordings". An 8-page overview of all the little mistakes that were made. I have a print in my archives, but don't have it in a digital format. Is there anyone outhere that does have that? If not I could always try to make a text-scan of it. Or otherwise one could always get in contact with Dauber.

I think the Cabinessence site has (or at least had) a section with that type of stuff too.

yep, it's exactly that writing. Not that unlogic, if you know that one Mike Wheeler cooperated on that...
thanks for pointing that out Chris.   :) Forgot to look on that site.

I think that, as strange as it is to consider, Brian simply was impatient to get things mixed down and finished, and Chuck, or Ralph Balantin, or whoever wasn't going to get in his way.

You're right Josh, it does seem strange, but is definitely likely.  I'm sure there were times when Brian just wanted it done and over with, even after spending hours and hours actually recording it.  That probably wasnt the case each and every time, but I'm sure it happened.  The stuff on Pet Sounds still baffles me though, since he knew that this was his best work to date.  One would logically assume that he would take his time mixing Pet Sounds to make sure it was as perfect as it could be.  Maybe the record company was breathing down his neck to get it out, who knows.  With the earlier records though, I can certainly buy the line of thought that says Brian just wanted to get it done. 

Here are some links that note all the noted noises, chatter and edits on Beach Boys records...

http://www.surfermoon.com/essays/noises.html

http://www.surfermoon.com/essays/noises2.html

I've certainly heard the records differently after reading these!  :smokin

Zander

Legend has it that Pet Sounds was mixed in one 9-hour session (the two 45 A sides excepted, natch). I also recall Hal Blaine saying that Brian had to go back in and clean up the tapes before Capitol would accept it, so can you imagine what the 'dirty' version sounded like ?

I would love to hear that 'dirty' version, if it exists. Honestly.

I hear tell there's a huge fart in the instrumental break of "Here Today".

...but it was gone tomorrow.

I checked these sites out and want to listen to them all now. There is no mention of a noise like a whistle on Then I Kissed Her in the last verse?