The Smiley Smile Message Board

Will this be a digital release as well?

It might? The Bambu RSD release came with a code to download mp3s, but I'm not sure if this one will. Somebody I know has a digital turntable, so I'll try to get a mp3 ripped on Saturday, but it's likely somebody on the east coast will be able to do that sooner than me.

Anyone bought this yet?

I got it. Seems Brian May is the man responsible for the horrific artwork.

I like it. Not mind blowing by any means. Some nice vocals plus some good and not so good guitar work IMO.

I resent paying 11.99 euro for a 7" but will make an exception for Dennis  ;D

No digital download.

I also picked up the Papa doo run run - California Project album for 4 euro. Reviews seem decent online but have never heard it.

A friend told me that he likes the "new" version. It seems that near the end someone else sings (probably May?). But it's not substantial enough to justify a writer-credit for Brian May (which he got). Has anyone else who listened and compared to the previously released version any idea if there are any new parts that May wrote?

I noticed the writer credit and thought it was strange. May sings at the end and presumably made the few changes in the arrangement...the chorus loops at one point. Guitar solo is his of course but would have thought that would not justify a writer credit. Probably just an agreement they came to so as to get him involved.

I spent three hours driving from record store to record store looking fir Holy Man. It completeky sold out at the 5 record stores I went to.  :'(

My record store didn't even get it!! I was so angry!! Got up at 5AM on Saturday for this!!

Picked it up at my record shop.  The shop clerk thought it had actually been cancelled but there was one lone copy left.  It's different, to say the least.  I do like hearing the signature Queen sound on it.

Would be really awesome if you uploaded it (or shared it, hehe), seeing as it isn't available anywhere digitally at the moment, as far as I can see.

Yeah I got the last copy in my hometown of Burlington, Ontario, as where I live Hamilton didn't have it. I was disappointed, so I called up the cool record store in my town, and boom they had one copy left.

Raced to get there in 20 minutes.

I like it a lot. You've got the Queen vibe that kicks in a little into the song. The only thing I would have liked is a digital copy. So if anyone has one feel free to send it my way.

Also, the artwork I like. I thought it was crap at first, but seeing Brian May did it and his science background, it is campy and I dig.

Hope everyone out there looking to get a copy gets one. It's a drag going to multiple stores to find one.

Found it on ebay for $15 shipped. Now i just hope it gets to me in one FLAT piece.

Discogs has copies for close to what you'd have paid in the record store. Ended up buying a copy there....

My local has it if anyone is still looking - https://www.dodobeach.de/30066560,0,single,-,wilson-dennis-taylor-hawkins-brian-may-roger-taylo,holy-man,-,rsd-2019,190759359273,19075935927.html

I found one copy left today at a local record shop. (I was out of town and nowhere near any record stores on Saturday.) Now I have to find some way to play this thing, since the turntable is buried under other stuff. But at least I have it!

Picked up one of the last two copies at my local record store; I was quite alarmed to see two or three "blisters" in the grooves on the A side, but thankfully it played fine. The Brian May/Roger Taylor overdubs definitely take the song to another level I didn't anticipate I'd ever get to hear a Dennis song reach, if I may say so.

How come nobody has uploaded it anywhere? :eggcellent

Did you notice that the song exists in 2 different lengths ?

My EU version plays 5:15, a friends version in the USA is 30 seconds shorter.
My one is on black vinyl, I heard there are also blue ones.

I did make a digital copy.  I suppose if the message board admins were cool with it, I could share a lo-fi copy of it on here.

I would appreciate that. The copy I ordered from discogs isn't going to get here until Tuesday. I'm sad I'm gone this long from the release date without getting to hear it.

I just received my copy via ebay, but you would save me the hassle of making my own digital copy.  8)

If the admins give their blessing I'll post it.

It's been officially uploaded on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot4JCJPA3MI

I'm not a fan. To be polite about it.

Thanks!

@Jay: Are the backing vocals too much for you?

I'm not really a fan of the bass drum beats, and the way it's kind of re-arranged at the end. I think the extra sound effects are a bit much. The backing vocals are quite pretty, actually.

Edit: But honestly, if they were going to put Beach Boys sounding vocals on it, it might as well have been done by the real deal on TWGMTR.

Fucking hell. I couldn't even finish it. Kind of regret paying a premium to get a vinyl copy off a 3rd party.

I cringed so hard when that first round of additional vocals came in. Amd then it got worse!! Not a fan of Queen and their pompus brand of RnR, so maybe that has something to do with it, but damn....

That version on the POB set is incredible. Taylor Hawkins did an amazing lead for an amazing production. This just feels like a bunch of stuff tacked onto a tune that doesn't call for it. They messed with perfection and perfection didn't take it too well.....

Thank you for posting the link! I knew it would go up eventually...So thanks for finding and posting it. Wonder how long until its taken down

FWIW, its also available for sale at my local record store and in-stock for 9.99 (they will ship)
https://www.ziarecords.com/p/7076824/dennis-wilson-taylor-hawkins-brian-may-roger-taylor-holy-man-b-w-holy-man-instrumental-150g-vinyl-rsd-2019

An abomination ...

Thanks for the link!

My opinion: At best the new contents add nothing new to the song, at worst it sounds like a half-hearted effort done in a couple of minutes.

And now after hearing it, I am convinced that the additions don't justify a co-writing credit

I don't know - it's kind of an odd collaboration between a Beach Boy, a Foo Fighter and Queen.  Not essential listening but I kind of dig that it exists at all.  Annnnnnd you can now purchase it digitally!

https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bt6yecdir7ucpzbi6aneowowtci&tid=song-Ts3iyb3cq3t5yvbxixsoqcoew4e

They made a quick little promo video for social media: https://www.facebook.com/16821421682/posts/10157237040596683?sfns=mo

In addition to being available to purchase digitally, it is available to stream on Apple Music (and likely Spotify and other services).

I actually really really like it. Dennis was all about harmonies on POB, and this song and it’s added harmonies gives me a convincing look at how Holy Man could have sounded had Denny completed it. Also, the subtle production additions of the celesta and bell give the track more ethereal feel.

Every version of this song that’s been released has something I like about it. Thanks to everyone who made this possible!

hmmm with the volume down it doesn't sound too bad, but is the production ever brickwalled!  It's horrible on headphones as the mix has everything mixed way up front. always trouble when the backing vocals are the same volume as the leads.  Glad I heard it, glad I didn't spend big $$ on it.  ::)

Personally, after years of hearing about how awful it was, I was prepared to dislike it intensely. But upon actually hearing it, I kinda like it. Remember, Dennis had intended for the Double Rock Baptist Choir to sing on it, so Taylor's version - simple and beautiful as it is - always felt to me like it was still missing its full potential. Yeah, I know - with Dennis gone, we can't say it could ever be exactly as he intended, but I gotta say, the addition of the "Queen choir" has filled it out and made it closer, I believe, to what he intended. And it doesn't sound "too Queen-like" to me...maybe because Freddy's trademark, distinctive voice is not on it. The guitar solos, however? I could live without them. I think Carl's original solo fits better.

Lastly, I thought folks might enjoy re-reading what Brian May posted on his website back in '08 about the creative process he went through in realizing this version:


"Well, since many people have been asking, and the word seems to be out there ....
I got inspired when Taylor sent me the track in its raw state, with a really soulful vocal from Taylor. It was a song which Dennis Wilson had begun, shortly before he died, but never finished. Beautiful piano playing, wonderful spiritual feel. The producers of the new Dennis Wilson release had asked Taylor Hawkins to sing on the track, and, by instinctive 'feel', finish the song. He had done an amazing job. Taylor had a feeling we could contribute, so he sent me a ProTools session of it. If you were a fan of the Beach Boys, you'll remember Dennis was not known as the principal songwriter, and was regarded by many as just a band member who was carried along. But, of all of the band, it was only Dennis who actually led the life of a surfer, and as time went on, it became obvious that he had a lot to say. He came into his own as a writer, and is now regarded by many as truly at the heart of what the Beach Boys were, and are, in the history of Rock.

So the track arrived, and I was moved ... so much so, that it hadn't even got to the end of the first playing before I was down in the studio, playing along ... inspired. I plunged in, and did a kind of resculpting, about three days work, as perhaps you'll eventually hear - and sent back a rough mix of what I'd done. It involved mapping and singing some backing vocals for the lead vocal to bounce off, building the rhythm track with guitars, and playing a solo. I then extended the song a little, to try to make the point a little stronger, and made an ending which resolved to something very much like the opening of the track - just subtly changed. The whole track spoke to me like a poem, and seemed to be steeped in the spirit of this mysterious man, the Beach Boy Who Surfed. And I wanted to do my bit to realise it to the full. Taylor was hugely enthusiastic, and we then asked Roger to add his magic. Roger loved it too, added his voice to the harmonies, and did some nice percussion, so the whole thing now had a subtle Queen overtone. We all loved the track - and hoped that we would see it on the Dennis album.

Sadly, we then found out that the producers of the album had gone ahead and compiled the album without waiting for us. I think there is some plan to issue it as a download, but obviously, having put so much love into it, we were a little disappointed, Taylor and Roger and me.

But such is life. It was still a nice experience doing it. Those moments are precious, and it's a fact of life that they don't always lead to something commercially successful, or even get heard. It's the moments of creative joy which matter ... and, in a way, this brought us closer to Taylor. And maybe there will yet be a good outcome."

It's now available on iTunes as well.

I had always felt the song was missing harmonies -- or even some doubling here and there. The May-Taylor additions are excellent in that regard.

The extension of the song and addition of an ending? Also great.

The soloing just seems a bit more improvised than I would usually expect from Dr. May, but I also appreciate that it's not buried in the mix like Carl's guitar.

Overall? A solid reconstruction attempt. At this point, I'd just love to hear a full-blown new recording of the song, from the ground up.

I don't love it, but I don't hate it. It's ok.

I like the original Taylor Hawkins version better though.

Was Denny a fan of Queen? The only Queen/BBs connection I know of is I remember hearing that Brian was "scared" of Bohemian Rhapsody or something to that effect, as though it was too good.

I made some alternate artwork for my digital collection. In case anyone else is interested:

(https://i.imgur.com/aVgNSeR.jpg)

I always thought "Bohemian Rhapsody" wouldnt exist without "Good Vibrations" as setting a template for that kind of song with multiple sections, pocket symphony type things, but who knows. Besides that the band seem quite different...although Queen first got popular in 1974 right when the beach boys were huge with endless summer...and then they both had their fortunes in the US fall by the 80s, even though both were still big in the UK

Rad, that's better artwork than the actual art!

Haha, I felt the original artwork made the Holy Man seem like a product of Area 51, and I've always felt the song was about Jesus Christ. This emulation of the POB artwork fits the song so much better methinks.

The only thing that makes me say Jesus Christ about this version of the song is my reaction to Brian May getting a songwriting credit

 :lol

Was it mentioned at one point that Dennis liked the Queen song "you take my breath away" or was that a title mixup with something else?

edit:

ah yes. this was it - http://www.surfermoon.com/boots/cocaine.shtml

 ;D


I don't think it's necessarily about Jesus Christ, but it is also not not about him. I guess the idea is the concept of a - as the title says - holy man, the manifestation of God's love. So, yeah, that could be Christ (especially if you look at the picture of him as shown in the Gospel of John and the letters of John) but it could also be influenced by the New Age movement and have nothing to do with Jesus. IIRC Dennis had the idea for the songtitle after meeting Maharishi according to Gregg Jakobson (at least that's how I remember, maybe that interview is on the P.O.B. podcast from Sony/Legacy). And I wouldn't be surprised if Dennis and Jakobson kinda mixed everything without worrying about theological reasons or what consequences this would have if you'd looked at it from a theological point.

Thanks for the info! I actually don't know if I'd have my opinion about 'Holy Man' if Jesus wasn't directly mentioned twice in POB...And in those specific contexts, Jesus is opening the person's heart and is in his soul. So with that context, the lyrics of 'Holy Man' make sense to me as a song about Jesus. That being said, the lyrics are open ended and thus perhaps not specifically about any one in particular. So I can see your perspective of the song too.

Finally heard the new cut.  I'm going to be polite and just say that it is not to my liking.

Give me the original Taylor vox version or the instrumental, thank you very much.  I find both of them to be lovely and moving.

The clockwork cycle the release of a previously unheard track goes in the Beach Boys world of fandom:

1. Gush over a song that will be released soon because it already has a mythical, legendary status.
2. Exclaim how "I can't wait!!!" a few days before release.
3. Stampede to be the first to get a copy.
4. Lament the fact that you are one of the ones who can't get it and promise to be the best friend of whoever uploads it for you.
5. Finally get a copy and almost orgasm prior to even play the song.
6. Bag the merda out of the song because it doesn't live up to the hype you yourself created - strangely enough you also forget how you have been demanding this released for the last 10 years.
7. Repeat cycle for the next previously unheard song release.

More precise than an atomic clock.

Eh, I don't know.  I'm a citizen of the world of Beach Boys fandom, and I never bagged on, say, "(Wouldn't it be Nice to) Live Again."  (Or in other, non-BB instances, something like Nirvana's "You Know You're Right" or the Threetles' take on "Free as a Bird"/"Real Love."  I was agog over the thought of hearing them.  And in their own way, each lived up to (or exceeded) my expectations.   :)

Speaking for myself, I always thought the instrumental and Hawkins versions were beautiful (and what I'd give for a Dennis sung version!).  But I can't say that was ever pining to hear the "Queen version."  It just didn't sound like an ideal match of artists to me.

That said I was certainly curious.  And why wouldn't I be?  It's an unheard version of a number I quite enjoy, written by an artist I really, really like.

I simply didn't care for what the new version added to (and subtracted from) the previous work.

To this fan, it's nothing special. Any version. IMHO.

Never a fan of Queen, I expected to despise this but surprised myself by mostly enjoying it quite a lot, nonsensical guitar solo and all, until it reached the godforsaken ending which sounds like it comes from a Cliff Richard Christmas song.

Not bad, but imho could've benefitted from a bit of production restraint. Less is more!

Bit like the Queen movie...why bother with facts when you can make up something more dramatic?

BTW, Gregg talks a little about it here at ca. 4:18 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3mEh-Ubcso

Given some of the impressions this new (although actually over a decade old) version of the song, I expected something far more heinous and Frankensteined. I can totally see preferring any of the multiple versions of the song. But if you actually like the song in general, I can’t imagine intensely disliking this Brian May version. It’s far from some sort of overwrought, bombastic Queen-esque restyling. This sounds not too dissimilar from the other “Hawkins” version, just with some extra backing vocals (since when are Beach Boys fans off-put by layered backing vocals?) and then admittedly some extra May guitar noodling for an extended outro.

Geez, I know the Beach Boys have never been a guitar-heavy band, and I know some segment of fans act like Blondie Chaplin jamming on “Wild Honey” is like some sort of heavy metal hippiefest screeching nightmare, but Brian May doing his thing (same tone and same style as much of his guitar work has) for like two minutes on this song is hardly that offensive as a *third alternate* way to hear this song. If May hadn’t added guitar, nobody would have ever known the Queen guys were involved. The backing vocals are *more* restrained than I would have expected.

I’ve always been happy enough with Dennis’s “Holy Man.” It’s not his best song, but it’s a good one. I’ve probably always found it most interesting for how it morphed into (or was morphed from) “Moonshine”, and how even one of the chord changes is weirdly reminiscent of that silly fake Dennis song from the 1990 “Summer Dreams” movie. But really, Taylor Hawkins (who I otherwise haven’t ever followed) weirdly does channel possibly the most 1977-Dennis-esque voice one could ask for, and either presentation of “Holy Man” is more of an approximation of how it would have sounded than we probably ever could have hoped for.

Meh I enjoyed it. The only bit I didn't care for were Roger Taylor's sappy vocals over the end (and the cover art).

I didn't mind that Roger Taylor vocal at the end. I used it on my own remix of the best bits of the Taylor Hawkins' version and Queen's.

I totally agree with what c-man mentionned earlier, the extra backing vocals add more to the song and I think would be closer to what a full 1974-75 production would have been like.

Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/-Mt4eUvF2U4

Overall I like the new version, but don't love it. Brian May showboating after the verses detracts from it. But I like the extra harmony bursts. Were the relatively minor additions worth standing in line for RSD for it? I don't know -- I was out of town and my wife did the standing on my behalf. :)

What I wish would have happened:

- Not a cop-out B-side. Come on...just an instrumental version of the A-side (and shorter)? Is it the mid '80s again?
- Some more lyrics. Personally, I think Taylor Hawkins *nailed* the spirit of Dennis back in '08, but...the song still sounds very incomplete. Like they forgot to record a bridge or something...it's just two short verses and then a lot of emptiness.
- A better quality *physical* product. The spindle hole was way too tight (almost broke the damn record when I took it off the platter), and the record itself is...well....ripply. I watched the stylus quake up and down during the entire playback...interestingly, though, it didn't affect the sound...no noticeable wow-and-flutter. But this is a problem with Record Store Day products in general, from my own experience: very poor physical material. The guy at the record store theorizes that RSD products are rush-pressed without much effort in quality control.

I think that's true. I general, my RSD purchases tend to be dirtier on first opening and the are cut a bit rough compared to other releases.

I've read a couple articles in the past talking about how RSD releases in general are so rushed that quality control is lacking.

I didn't stand in line for my copy of "Holy Man" either. It was still at my record store a week later, as were most of the other RSD titles I was interested in getting.

Was anyone else able to confirm the existence of the shorter edit? My US vinyl copy runs 5:18 so presumably the same edit as Manfred’s EU copy.