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Marcella is one of my favourite tracks, but I think its rather slow pace doesn't do the song justice. I made this years ago and, to me, it sounds much better now (maybe a tad too fast):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enSFCmt1mog

What do you think? I also think it could have used a heavier guitar tone (like they did in the live versions). A very underrated track overall and one which could have been a big hit, IMHO.

I like your quick version, and have listened to it many times.  I DO wish that the album version was more like the live version- maybe if they had done it live for a while first, then recorded it?  I'm assuming it was the other way around.  Most people who have been around me when I play the live version really like it and are surprised.

I think the original album track is perfect, though I do love the live versions as well.  With all due respect, I think your sped-up version is a bit too poppy and takes a bit of the moody edge away from the song. 

This is THE song that led me down the path of becoming a deep, deep fan.  I still remember hearing it for the first time...and replaying it as soon as it was over.  And replaying it again!  The vocals in the end tag are among my very favorite BB musical moments ever. 

I was waiting to see what marcella27 thought about the BBs' two versions of "Marcella"!  And I agree - the original studio version as released on album and single is perfect, IMO. Any heavier or faster, and it would have lacked that special BBs quality, and become yet another track from that album that people knock for not sounding enough like the BBs. As it is, it and "All This Is That" are really the only two tracks that feel like the BBs to most listeners (nothing wrong with the other tracks on that album - taken individually, they range from quite good to masterful - but they all lack that BBs "sound").

As for the harder rocking "live" version - they sound much more like the Rolling Stones than the BBs there. Nothing especially wrong with that, in a live concert setting. And Brian obviously prefers that arrangement these days, since that's the one he peforms in concert with his band (and on the 2012 BBs tour).

I prefer the original groove of the recording BUT, I prefer the heavier guitar of the live track. I owned the live album before finding "So Tough", so that may have something to do with it...but I wish they could have just let Carl rip out a heavier guitar line, or Blondie. But, I feel that way about several Beach Boys tracks.  :lol

Serious question, I wonder if a ton of weed in the studio might have influenced the slightly slower pace of the studio version  :hat

Yes.

Speaking of studio version song tempo… Does anybody know, did the band ever use click tracks in the pre-digital age?

I wonder how much thought and planning went into determining tempo, or if it was a very spur of the moment type of thing that just happened.

When did the group do it during the 2012 tour? I don't remember it.

It’s on the live album from 2012 and was a staple from memory.

https://youtu.be/8w6vMyJXi9o

They used metronomes, a Rhythm King (early drum machine), and eventually click tracks (at Brother Studio).

Interesting. Would the metronome be used just at the start of the session to get into the right groove of a tempo?
Or would the drummer be listening to the rhythm of a metronome fed into headphones to play along with for the whole song?

Well, all of the examples I can think of (or at least know about) were when tracks were laid down without a drummer. For instance, you can hear the metronome on "Cuddle Up". The Rhythm King was used on, among other songs, "'Til I Die", and on that one the snare drum was added later. Dennis spoke about laying down piano with a click track and adding drums later.

Thanks, c-man!

Love the original track. Only the drums sound a little dull to me but that's a minor quibble. Nice to hear Brian's voice during the tag/fade-out.

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For awhile there, I thought Jack Reiley was singing the high "Marcella, heyyyyy" part in the tag, but I just now re-read Alan Boyd's comment from some time back: "By the way, did anyone note that Jack Reiley sings on MARCELLA? 'Heyyyyy Marcella' starting at 2:58?". I must've misread that back then, meaning I read the sung part backwards...listening to it now through headphones, I hear a mid-range part coming in at exactly 2:58, which sings, "Heyyyyy Marcella" instead of "Marcella, heyyyyy".

So, who do you think is singing that high falsetto part in the tag: Marilyn? (not sure she sang on this one, but it would be ironic if she did!). Bruce? (He's confirmed that he sings on it, and I hear him up high in the choruses, but I'm not sure about that tag part). Blondie? (I don't think he's on it at all - the track was cut while he was reportedly back in South Africa, he's not listed on the AFM sheet, and the track was resumably ready to go before they left the U.S.A. for those February T.V. show appearances in Holland).

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Yes, there's a track marked "Carl and Jack". So Carl sings that falsetto tag? There's also one marked "Mike Du Be Du Be Du Be", but I wholeheartedly agree that Al sings the "doobie doobie doo" line in the tag, so maybe Mike's singing another part on the same track.

There are two vocal parts in the choruses that sound like Dennis - maybe one is Dennis, and the other Carl? And which part do you hear as Brian?

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I'm not being sarcastic, but honestly I thought maybe that "Marcella, hey" part was Ricky.

Now hear me out. It sounds a bit like the guy who sang part of "Here She Comes" and "Barnyard Blues" but maybe I'm wrong.

I’ve always heard the Marcella Hey part as Brian....it seemingly becomes more clear once the part is somewhat isolated. Sounds exactly like his vocals from the era too. Could be wrong but that’s how I’ve always heard it

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Wait - are we talking about the "Marcella, hey" part, which is sung falsetto and which you (Salty) say is Carl, or the "Hey, Marcella" part which is lower (in both range and volume) and which Alan confirms is Jack?

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So, back to who sings the "Marcella, hey" falsetto part in the tag - that seems to be the part that Billy hears as Brian, and that Jim V. thinks might be Ricky. To me, those both sound more likely than Carl - it just sounds too thin, or reedy, to be Carl's falsetto.

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Some years back I had messed around with the track in Adobe Audition. Sounded exactly like his other vocals on the album (brief as they were) and on the Spring album. I should still have it on my hard drive

You guys are all much better than I at identifying voices, but the “Marcella hey” part on the album doesn’t sound like Carl to me.  However, I can’t figure out who it does sound like.  Are we sure it can’t be Ricky?  Listening to some of the live versions, I’m sure I can hear Ricky - not on that particular part, but rather on the harmony of the main “one arm over my shoulder” part.  And on the live versions, it DOES sound like Carl on the “Marcella hey” part. 

Found it...http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,25074.0.html

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So, from that 3-year old thread, we get this range of opinions on the falsetto "Marcella, hey" part in the tag:

ForHerCryingSoul agrees with Salty that it's Carl
Jim V. thinks it's Ricky
Jay says Ricky sang it live (EDIT: could it be he took over that part after Blondie left, i.e. the '74 performances?)
Billy C remembers Jack saying it was Brian

Sorry about that...forgot to look through Alan Boyd's posts, but I just tried and also can't find it.

Well, this thread escalated quickly ;)

Lovely discussion, guys. I guess "my" version doesn't really fit the 1972 standard. Which is fine. I still think Marcella is a killer track. I do prefer the live version, though.

I like both yours and the original, SonicVolcano.


Hey, I finally hear Jack Rieley's part.

For the unknown vocal, if it's not Carl, which I still agree with SaltyMarshmallow is very likely, could it be Billy Hinsche?  I don't know his voice a lot, but I know c-man says he is on a lot of the AFM's for this album.  Not that I know any of these voices well enough either, so this is probably a wild goose chase on my part: any chance on Marilyn or Diane singing slightly differently?  Or Tony Martin, Jr because he sings on Sail On, Sailor (around the same time frame)?

I doubt it's Billy, simply 'cause he's talked over the years about singing on "H&V" and "Darlin'", and playing harmonica on "Mountain Of Love" prior to those, but has never mentioned singing on "Marcella", which I suspect he would have had he done so.

Based on the tracksheet notes from that other thread, I'm assuming each part refers to:

7 - tag MARCELLA = Mike coda response
11 - ONE ARM first chorus = Al and Carl chorus lead
12 - ONE ARM 2nd chorus = Dennis and Carl chorus response
13 - Mike Du Be Du Be Du Be = Mike chorus bass vocal
15 - Al extra = doobie doobie doo
16 - Mike and Al = Mike coda lead with Al's harmony
17 - Carl and Jack = Marcella hey / hey Marcella

Craig, are there any other clues on that? Is it 16-track or 24 with the '17' there? I'd really appreciate if you could dig out the whole thing, for instrumental reasons too.

Speaking of which, anyone else wonder if there's an edit into the tag? There's a pretty sudden change of instrumentation going into it with the electric piano being swapped for a grand, and the drums also seem to change. They remind me a lot of Brian's playing on Funky Pretty.

Considering Billy Hinsche is probably sitting at home with time on his hands and has been active with his Facebook gigs, has anyone with an account (never been interested myself) actually thought of just asking him?

True. On it.

Good idea. Does anybody know if Steve Moffit is still alive and can be reached concerning it, as (I think) he was the engineer on the track?

Funny that I thought it was Ricky then. Don't remember writing that post. Anyways, anybody working on somehow finding out the truth of this matter (if that's even possible)?

Found the extracted vocal I did years ago! I’ll upload it later today 😎

I was listening to the song with my ear close to the speaker, and this sounds about right. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I noticed Al’s “shoobie doobie doo” part and now I’ve finally noticed Mike’s “du be du be” part which seems to underline Al’s bit. Man, one has to just appreciate the beautiful intricacy of these vocal parts, and that by 1972 that it wasn’t always Brian arranging them, but all the guys. There never has been a vocal group that can come close to The Beach Boys and there will likely never be any.

Question though: Blondie is heard during the chorus (sounds like him anyway), but I guess he’s absent from the tag?

I could try running it through Spleeter, too, for isolated vocals.  Let me know if interested.

I already Spleeter'd it for the isolation I uploaded earlier, after cancelling out the centre channel in Audition. I only lowered the backing track elements 5db to highlight the vocals rather than completely solo them because that type of processing tends to smother the character.

Very well, then I shan't spleeter.

I really don't think Blondie is on this at all - if the chorus part you're referring to is the one I'm thinking of, it's either a second Dennis, or Carl.

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Title of my memoirs, incidentally.

I would like to hear it

https://soundcloud.com/billy-castillo-2/marcella-beach-boys-song-extracted-tag/s-kyMf55TT961


It's not Carl. ...too thin

Edit Sound cloud deleted the link...one moment

Edit x2 still getting immediately deleted. I’ll find a new place to upload it.

Billy, WeTransfer works pretty well for stuff like this.

Also, I want to tell all of you how much I love you  ;) and am enjoying this topic. I’m hearing more of these parts than I ever have, but still having a hard time hearing Bruce.

I’ll try it.

Oh and from hearing it, the doobie doobie doo doos are very clearly Al. I know at one point years ago people thought it was Brian.

I think they started doing it after the Jason Fine piece on the 50th Anniversary tour in Rolling Stone - Fine captured Brian trying to convince Mike to put it in the set, and also badgering Scott Totten to put it in (ST: “we don’t know that song” BW: “my guys know it!”)

I've always heard the "Marcella Heeeey" as Brian.

A thread (and a song) incredibly near & dear to my heart...

Salty--your listing sounds pretty right on to me, after 5,000+ listens to the track over the years (g-d it, to think it's been nearly half a century...Lord help us all!).

Just making sure of one thing: when you talk "chorus," you are talking about the "One arm over my shoulder/Sandals dance at my feet" section that ends "Oo Marcella so sweet," yes? You guys are hearing Al singing these lines (or some of them)? I'm hearing Carl, particularly on the "dance at my feet" (which has some of the same hard-ass inflection that's on display in "Mess of Help").

Can you break down the lines in the choruses a bit more to guide me toward hearing where Al is on these?

Billy, really want to hear that extracted track! Can you maybe find the same for "Mess of Help" again? Remember being amazed by that as well when it was available to hear.

My little six-song iTune set designed to blow away bad vibes ("in 20 minutes or less!") kicks off with three BB songs all worked on (if not exactly released) in '72: "Marcella," "SOS" (the most instrumental version with vocals only at the ned), and "Mess of Help." Better than any ingested/injected drug for returning to "precocious adolescent" sonic ecstasy...

The magnificently energetic intricacy of the vocal arrangements on Marcella: unquestioned. Who was responsible for 'em: less certain. Remembering reading a "progress report" in a music mag in January 1972 from critic Billy Altman who was apparently present at the BBs December sessions and whose preview blurb was "over the galaxy" about "Marcella"...but it also  strongly intimated that Brian was very involved in those sessions (or, should I say, at the "Marcella" sessions, at least). That entire period, with its result of swapping out Bruce and adding in Blondie/Ricky and the internecine intrigues with Rieley etal, is still in need of a lot more documentary detail.

One last observation/question: given the unmitigated awesomeness of the live version of "Marcella," why do you suppose that Warners didn't at least try to put it out as a 45? Or would it be still somehow be seen as "too un-BB" to work commercially? I'm still of the opinion that they screwed things up by leading with "Mess of Help" as the first 45 from SO TOUGH--the advance tag line could've been "We can't wait for June!" with "Marcella" bringing the BBs into a perfect moment of alignment with the past and the present. My admittedly outré love for "Mess of Help" does not blind me to the fact that it couldn't "help" but confuse folks who'd just connected with SURF'S UP--the first reaction to it at the time was "that's pretty good! ...wait/what, it's the BEACH BOYS?? (insert brakes and car crash sounds here)." While Jack is famous for that quote about how the BBs "blew it," they had a "mess of help" from WB in 1972...

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I hear Mike doing his doo-wop bass thing too underneath the Dennis and Carl call and answer vocals.

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I've always heard this as two Dennises. Will have to listen again.

Those extraction links are super awesome!

I'm realizing this was maybe Brian's last hurrah as a vocal arranger on a level that he was in his glory days. They really went all out on this one! Vocally with all the little tiny twists and turns, It's almost on the level of something from SMiLE. Not sure I can think of a later BBs example that is quite as detailed and intricate.

Maybe a few tracks on Love You come close.

Didn’t Carl do the vocal arrangements on this?

Wasn't there either a 'fast' version, or a 'long' version (or both) out there on some bootleg? What was the source for those? Legit, or just someone fooling around?

Also, does anyone know if the Beatrice from Baltimore lyrics were recorded, even if only in demo form?

Definitely not one of my favorite songs ( I’m in the camp that thinks it’s too slow and plodding ) but this is one the best threads I’ve read on here in awhile ! Gave me some new appreciation of that song . Now who sang what on the C50 version 😂😂

If so, it's surely the only time Carl did this kind of vocal arrangement - his others are more "conventional", if you will, and not really BW-like.

I don’t find it slow at all, myself. Definitely a ‘70s Beach Boys favorite and it dukes it out with ‘All This Is That’ for the best track on Carl & The Passions.

Brian said in his autobiography he was initially very involved in the Marcella session, IIRC.

Probably like a number of other songs he was involved with the sessions from this era, Brian would’ve lost interest after a while, handing the duties over to Carl, while he moved on to something else. Or, who knows, maybe he was more focused and tuned in than that whilst recording it. The vocal tag arrangement has his fingerprints all over it.

I always believed that the chugging rhythm & somewhat slower (compared to live) tempo of this song could have been a result of Brian's heavy left hand on the piano.  I can easily hear Brian doing a piano demo & then Carl & the guys turning it into the full blown production that it became.  It was only natural to speed it up when performed live.  It became an easy choice to be an opening song for many shows when if was first put into set lists.

I feel I Can Hear Music, especially the a capella break, was pretty Brian-like. 

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But he must have made some arrangements? Trader for example?

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Yeah, all the little vocal twists & turns within "Marcella" scream of it being a Brian arrangement, although the other guys may have thrown in an idea or two.

Speaking of group vocal arrangements, anyone notice how, on the 1985 Beach Boys LP, all of the Brian songs come with a credit reading, "Vocals arranged by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys", while none of the other tracks have a vocal arrangement credit?  I'm guessing Landy wanted to ensure that the world knew Brian was really back, and arranging harmonies. Since he only did so on his numbers, and since the other guys also contributed to those arrangements, a compromise was reached that resulted in the credits reading the way they do. Just my guess.

Interesting. 

On the Brian songs from the 1985 album, I wonder which of the vocal ideas were Brian's, and which were the Boys.
I've always been slightly perplexed, not knowing whether I like it or hate it, regarding the "whoah-oh-whoah-ohhh-HOOO" part on "Crack at Your Love" - it's one of those parts that just seems hokey to me, but now I've learned to sort of feel neutral about it.

I quite dig the other backing vocals on the rest of that song though.

That part seems like a Brian idea to me. If not, then I would guess it to be an Al idea.

I think you're right.

Finally got a response from Billy Hinsche: “I can’t tell you definitively if I sang on Marcella but it’s certainly a possibility. I’m working on my next show which should be a lot of fun so hope you can tune in Saturday night at 7 PM Pacific. Bye for now, Billy”

Am  i the only one who thinks of a mouthwash commercial when I hear the backups for Crack at your Love? I don’t know why but it’s been bugging me for years