In the new beach boys book it talks about Dennis doing the bass vocals in wouldn't it be nice with his mouth cupped into his hands. I can't really hear it on the track. Can anyone else?

I didn’t realize it until about a month ago that it was him doing that. I do believe it is him, the bass vocal during the second verse is definitely more of a Dennis vocal than Mike.

From my recollection the vocal stack was (during the first few albums until Al joined the stack) were Brian, Carl, Dennis and Mike. When Al rejoined, Al was stuck between Brian and Carl. Then once Bruce got into the band Brian would try to have Bruce do a part above the rest, and/or between Brian and Al.

Once we get into the 70s (and even starting with Friends actually) the arrangement in vocal lineup starts going all over the place. iirc the vocal lineup for All I Wanna Do was this weird lineup of Bruce, Al, Brian, Carl and Mike top to bottom (according to the Sail On podcast). Brian was starting to put Bruce and/or Al above him while Brian took a more comfortable range (not every case but a few cases).

It eventually got to the point that by CATP and Holland (aside from Funky Pretty) Brian would always not be the highest harmony, usually the second highest. Take for example the verses in Mess of Help. Al is shrieking on top there, followed by Carl, Brian and Mike. Matter of fact, Brian is actually adding additional “hey” parts with enthusiasm and even started trying to add improvised parts there (this can be heard clearly on the acapella track)

It wasn’t until 15BO that Brian was actively trying to be the top of the harmony stack, especially noticeable on Its OK where he’s doing a very breathy part above Al, who does a lower but much more shrill part.

Sorry if that was a ridiculously long one but yeah to answer the question, generally it’s either Bruce, Brian, Al, Carl, Dennis, Mike. (And Bruce and Brian switch, as do Al and Carl on occasion)

I will admit I didn't buy the Sail On Sailor set.  Why?  Because it seemed that Brian was more or less MIA in this period.  I listened to some of the rare tracks from the set and my reaction was "blah".   Frankly, it's a period of the band that doesn't particularly interest me, just my personal taste I guess.  BUT, I would totally go for a 1976-77 set where Brian was back and recording a bunch of some of the most eccentric music of his career.  Oh yeah.   

He wasn't MIA.  Some days he didn't participate, but he's a presence on the featured LPs.  Plus, if you like eccentric Brian music, what about Mt. Vernon and Fairway?  Rooftop Harry?  Spark in the Dark?

Those and the Gimme Some Lovin’ medley. Brian was cooking!

Some other tracks that may exist that were inexplicably left off the Feel Flows set.  Hope these see the light of day soon:

- Alternate versions of Cool, Cool Water
- Back Home (Version 4, recorded mid-late 1971)
- Don't Go Near the Water (Demo)
- Long Promised Road (Demo)
- Lookin' at Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (Demo)
- Country and Western (An early 1969 Carl recording featuring many overdubbed guitars)
- Susie Cincinnati (Early version, recorded 12/24/69)
- Dennis' Piano Interlude (WIBNTLA Demo)
- Barnyard Blues (Early Version)
- San Miguel (Early version, recorded 1/9/69)

That last one iirc is just a demo of Dennis on piano and Al on guitar playing it. Nothing really there but it’s interesting. Not expecting a release for that though.

However I am surprised that early version of Barnyard Blues got passed up. Would love to hear that someday but it is what it is :/

From the looks of it I reckon we’ll probably get something for 1974 this year. Am I expecting another physical release? Absolutely not due to the lack of material from the era. It’ll probably just be another digital only set but I’ll be perfectly fine with that. As long as battle hymn, Rollin’ Up to Heaven and that alt version of Child of Winter get put out (however bad those 3 are) I’ll be happy with it.

I always loved this version of the is song, odd it has never come out (better than a lot of things that have).

RE: who’s singing in it- I always hear Carl in the “doo-doo-wah-dah”, but then again those Celebration guys did a good job of sounding like the actual Beach Boys of the era. I can never tell who is singing what on MIU either- I bet some of those vocals that sound like Carl and Al are not.

According to the latest issue of ESQ, Carl doesn’t sing on it, but Brian, Al, Mike, Ron Altbach and Gary Puckett (!!!) are all singing the backups. Additionally, in regards to Carl on MIU, he’s only on She’s Got Rhythm (vox and guitar), Come Go With Me (vox), Hey Little Tomboy (vox and guitar), Peggy Sue (vox), Wontcha (guitar only apparently), Sweet Sunday (lead vox only), Pitter Patter (vox and guitar) and My Diane (vox)

Hopefully that’s helpful, and yeah this is a great song

Oh and yeah sneaking one extra detail: Brian is on every track in some way (vocally or instrumentally)

Does dennis sing or play on when girls get together? Wikipedia has him listed as being in the track but not his role.

This I can answer. Dennis had nothing to do with When Girls Get Together, the overdub was either Brian or someone else but just not Dennis. This also means that Dennis is basically absent on KTSA altogether! Additionally, research has since been found that proves that the acoustic guitar on the track is Carl, not Al Vescovo (who plays pedal steel) according to Will (I do remember this lol). So no Dennis, but confirmed Carl at least (and also, check out the Sail On podcast, which points out that Brian is playing piano and that awesome marxophone part). Overall, Mike, Brian and Carl are the only beach boys on the recording.

I kinda hope we get something at least for 1974, even if it's just the 2 unreleased tracks and the possible alternate versions or mixes of the already released material.

They better release Rollin' Up to Heaven unedited though otherwise there's no point in buying the set lol. Vulgar, crazy, and yet funny at the same time. You can't really say too much about that with other artists

And I also low-key kinda dig Battle Hymn too

The big selling point for me however would be that version of Child of Winter with Dennis and Carl singing lead instead of Mike and Brian. If we get that I'll buy the whole set, even if it's just a digital one like the Friends and 20/20 sets.

Going off what sloop said, yeah the group and any one of their friends could’ve easily dropped in to see what Brian was up to. Friendly reminder how the footage from the Fire sessions shows a lot of people (definitely Mike and Carl to my recollection) were there with Brian in the control room

My last post on here was April 2022…dang might as well make my return now lol

I don’t think I’ve asked this yet but do we have any clue as to when Blondie did his vocal for Its a New Day? I would assume it would’ve been done pretty early on in the CATP sessions but I could be wrong about that.

Additionally I do remember the basic track lineup from before about a few months ago elsewhere (Dennis on tack piano, Daryl on bass and Dennis Dragon on drums) but I wanted to see if more information has popped up since then.

Sorry for the lengthy post lol

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

And Carl is on acoustic guitar on that track right?

I would actually love to hear Telephone Backgrounds. Sure, it may be noodling but I’d love to hear it regardless.

The earlier version of San Miguel is also something I’d like to listen to. Even if it might not be released since the official version has been out for a while (and as everyone knows San Miguel is one of my favorite songs), this earlier version might be interesting in the sense that it might show just how much Dennis cared about the song when he started working on the official version.

I also realize the early version of Forever was done at the same session as the early version of San Miguel.

One thing I’ve been curious about is if there ever was a song Dennis wrote that he didn’t actually play an instrument on (It’s About Time is the first thing that comes to my mind).

I would finally like to hear a full version of both Rooftop Harry and Spark In The Dark. What I have heard sounds amazing and leaves me craving for more.

I still haven’t heard Telephone Backgrounds and I know it was technically released as part of the ‘71 copyright extension but I can’t find it anywhere. I’d like to hear that.

A good quality version of Hard Times and Carry Me Home.

But by far, the most anticipated things I want to hear are the Caribou Sessions. Unfinished as they may be, I’d love to hear that Carl/Mike song if it ever got recorded.

Hey folks, is there anything on the 2 CD version of the SMiLE Sessions that's not on the box, besides having the two-sided "Heroes" single on CD?

It seems like only "Good Vibrations: Session Highlights" is the only unique track here? Can anyone verify that?

Yeah I think that’s about it. Everything else on the 2CD is the same as the box set.

Now the vinyl exclusive tracks, that’s the unique part. You’re Welcome stereo mix, Vega-Tables stereo mix, Wind Chimes stereo mix, Cabinessence session highlight and stereo backing track, and Surf’s Up session excerpt and stereo mix. Those are the goods. Eventually the Vega-Tables and Wind Chimes stereo mixes were released on MIC.

Brad Elliott credits Brian with harmonica on BIG SUR, but doesn't indicate the source for that. Too bad that little Holland promotional booklet doesn't ID the harmonica player. Billy once told me he only went to Holland at the end of the sessions, and didn't actually play anything on the album while there; but to that point, the harmonica could've been overdubbed when they got back to L.A. If it was added in Holland, I think it could possibly be Dennis. Bottom line - we don't know, and maybe never will...

I figured that it couldn't have been Brian since Brian wasn't really contributing to any of the actual Holland sessions. He was at home and worked on Mount Vernon and Funky Pretty.

Brian laughing like a maniac when Maury talks about "Won't You Tell Me" being one of their best vocals since Pet Sounds is both hilarious and unnerving at the same time.

True dat.

Remember me?

Anyways I got one question for today. I've wondered about Feel Flows (box set) lately and I just want to know...

What do I expect to hear on Sweet and Bitter?

I mean...uh...who played on Games Two Can Play...

and the organ on Seasons In The Sun?

Just wanted to offer my opinion. Sunflower sounds pretty damn good even with the couple of things that I miss (Brian vocal on Our Sweet Love as an example). Surf's Up is good but some of the sound is like washed up or dry, you know what I mean? It works sometimes but then again there are some mistakes (SDT).

This will be quite exciting! I can’t wait until July!

This was a new one to me. Not a good time for Brian, his family, and the other Beach Boys. https://youtu.be/QEVl-UrsqO0

That was a depressing watch. 

Once "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn Turn Turn" became smash hit records for the Byrds, featuring a super-over compressed sound on the lead electric guitar as I mentioned in my earlier posts, a lot of records also began featuring over-compressed electric guitars. And also, that sound was being considered a "West Coast Sound", and if it was selling records like those Byrds singles, other records and producers went for it too.

One very notable example is "Nowhere Man", where the Beatles were consciously going for a Brian Wilson/Byrds sound both on the production and the song itself. Harrison and Lennon were now playing Fender guitars, which was a big shift for them, and Harrison's solo on Nowhere Man is literally compressed to death, much like McGuinn's was on those Byrds records.

If you take this in the years 1965-66, that's when things started to change in terms of compression and its use. Of course there would be old-school engineers who still did it their way, but when you have clients saying "we want that sound", whether it's Mr Tambourine Man or Nowhere Man or any number of other records with that West Coast Sound from that era, they'd have to do it or they'd lose the client to a studio or engineer that would.

Speaking of The Monkees, that over-compressed guitar sound goes back to the very first notes anyone heard from The Monkees in 1966, even before the TV show had its debut in September '66. "Last Train To Clarksville" features an intro from Louis Shelton's Telecaster with massive amounts of compression...those opening notes defined that record and became the hook that drew listeners in. Louis himself said after that became a radio hit, his phone began to ring for other session work once calls were made and they found out in LA who had played that guitar lick. And likewise, that massively compressed guitar sound also became a thing among those in the biz chasing a hit record. So literally the first notes anyone ever heard on a Monkees record in '66 featured heavy compression on electric guitar, and it became a thing.

Worth noting too is if you have the "Headquarters Sessions" Monkees set, there is a track where you can hear Hank Cicalo dialing in the compressor setting on Mike Nesmith's electric 12-string, and I've actually used that example to demonstrate the difference between not using compression and heavy compression when recording electric guitars, specifically electric 12's. Once Cicalo dials it in, boom - That's the signature sound.

So I disagree that compression wasn't being used  often, but it does come down to an issue of timing, as in *when* did these different studios and engineers start using it. If we're talking 1964, then yes, it was rare except perhaps on some vocal tracks. But after the folk-rock boom with Tambourine Man, that sound was everywhere and engineers eventually had to use it.

Then bring in Geoff Emerick and Revolver, and I've heard old-school engineers who had clients at the time that album had come out being asked for that sound, and the reply was "but that's wrong, that's not how to record drums, guitars, etc...". So I'll always come back to Revolver (and later Pepper, especially the use of compression on Ringo's drums) as the benchmark album that literally changed the game in terms of recording rock music. And the way Emerick used and deliberately over-used compression was a big part of it, even if the old-schoolers thought it was "wrong" to cut tracks which sounded like that. One of the perks of being an innovator is those who think you're wrong to rewrite the rules are the ones who end up following your lead eventually, and that's what happened in the world of recording rock and pop music after 1966-67.

Very interesting.

Also noted that being a Beatles fan myself, Harrison played the Fender guitar throughout the song, but the solo itself was both Harrison AND Lennon. It did sound much more prominent than the other lines too so it makes sense.

Was Al Jardine a participant in Mike's group, Celebration?

Al sometimes guested with Celebration, as did Brian and Carl.

I have failed once again.

Four questions (3 are BBs related):

What is that buzzing noise on Passing By? I remember hearing on the EH that it’s a Bass Harmonica, but it doesn’t to me, based on other records that use it.

What information related to Loop De Loop (of any) has personnel credits? I’ve asked a similar question on EH.

If the strings for Lady were recorded on the same day as the strings for Tears In The Morning & Our Sweet Love, does that mean it’s the same players, despite the different arrangers?

And the non BB one:

Did Hal Blaine really drum on Kicks by Paul Revere & The Raiders? Bassist Phil Volk makes it pretty clear that it wasn’t. Idk

http://stereoembersmagazine.com/american-stones-american-beatles-interview-paul-revere-raiders-mark-lindsay/ This is my source. It’s a lengthy read and has interviews from both Mark Lindsay & Phil Volk.

Was Al Jardine a participant in Mike's group, Celebration?

To my knowledge, no, aside from co-writing the group’s only hit. That was more of a Mike kinda thing to keep himself busy with some friends of his tbh.

Eh? No one? Alright then I'll move on. 

I've always wondered about the use of a Chamberlin (and in the case of I Wanna Pick You Up, the Mellotron) on BBs records. They didn't really use it as much as other acts. Were they more interested in other things during this time ('67-'72 was the instruments prime iirc)?