In Mark and Darian you have perhaps the two most qualified professionals in the music business working to ensure the accuracy of the 1966-67 studio details as they related to Brian's work at that time. You also have, again, perhaps the two most qualified men on the job who have not only pored over but also love and know down to the most minute detail all of the music and the studio sessions that were to be "recreated" in the film. And they have been working in and around these various facets of the BW-BB's saga for decades.

Consider at this point what a challenging task it could be to essentially rebuild and recreate with a high degree of authenticity a studio room from 50 years ago. First, the original rooms in many cases do not look anything like they did even 20 years ago, in some cases like Gold Star the original room has been gone for 30 years. Second, we do have some pretty detailed still photos and film clips from 1966 showing what it looked like, but most of those little details and trimmings were scrapped and replaced several times over by new designs.

Third, and perhaps most difficult of them all, studios did and do constantly upgrade and replace their existing equipment to modernize the place and market their rooms to potential clients with the latest gear...meaning a large majority of the original gear we now consider classic was at one time considered "obsolete" and out-dated, and therefore either sold off to the highest bidders or in many cases, simply scrapped for pennies on the dollar.

So when you have Mark Linett operating his studio which among rack-fulls of vintage gear has one of the few remaining Bill Putnam modular boards in existence, "rescued" from Western Studio 2, and when you have Darian who was for decades playing perhaps the only custom-built replica of Paul Tanner's original "Electro-Theremin" which itself was a one-of-a-kind custom build, you can pretty much feel comfortable that the details like these would have been placed in the perfect hands for the job.

There were hints and clues given before in this thread and others, but when there is word that anything close to this level of detail and care in presenting the right look and period-correct visuals was the case for the studio scenes, not to mention the use of live musicians - not just actors - playing the session players in the film, the doubts and the nay-saying about certain details if not the "look" of the whole film are soon erased if not laughed off entirely. 

Darian plays a large part in Brian's band and apparently booked ,and  rehearsed the musicians playing the wrecking crew in the film, but I doubt he would have had anything to do with the recreation of the studios past the selection of the correct period instruments for the musicians.

I am surprised no one has mentioned Darian's credit in the film.


He played a role in the look and the accuracy in the 1960's musical scenes, going so far as to suggest that real musicians be cast whenever possible. He spent a great deal of time on the set going over details such as the period studio technology in places like Western and Gold Star as well as vintage instrumentation. He was also the musical coach for Paul Dano and the cast members who would be playing music in the film teaching them the songs from the BB oeuvre. And yes, all but one of the Wrecking Crew roles were played by musicians (with the exception of the actor playing Hal Blaine). From what Darian has said, the attention to period detail is similar to what you would see in Mad Men.

You can't get all points of view in a two hour movie, especially with complex people like the BB family. But what you can do is create a portrait of Brian and try and convey the truth as he saw it.


 

I heard that Darian chose and rehearsed the musicians, but was not on the set for the filming and that Mark Linnet was the one responsible for duplicating the period look of the studios. According to IMB Mark also portrays engineer Chuck Britz  in the movie .

I thought only two songs on Sunflower were mixed in compatible quad by Desper., because  most of the album was composed of tracks originally slated for the Last Capitol Album and were mixed slightly before Quad came along.

http://www.studioelectronics.biz/newsletters/65dec.pdf

Indeed ? That's not what I've been told by people who've actually heard the original mix (which was by Brian, Darian & Nicky, btw - check the album credits). My understanding is that it is all but indistinguishable from what was released.

My understanding is Al Schmitt told several people the original mix was total shite which is why he was hired to remix it. And why else would the label spend all that extra $$ if the first mix was any good? You don't fix what isn't broken , and Schmitt's name doesn't sell records .

I think the production on the Gershwin album is miles better (Al Schmitt?) giving Brian's original/semi-original tracks much more depth. It's not without its issues, TLOS... though I love bits of it. [adds: if they could get Schmitt to manage the re-recording, mixing and production of the Paley songs it would be 

Al Schmitt remixed the album (why, I have no idea - the original mix was perfectly fine and, TBH, almost indistinguishable from the released version): he had nothing whatsoever to do with the recording and production.

..I heard that .the original mix by ? of Gershwin was so bad it was deemed unreleaseable by the label and Schmitt agreed when he heard it.

I've been told that EMI has found it to be a manufacturing error by the pressing plant and will be offering replacement discs. No idea who you contact tho , or how soon corrected discs will be available.

I-tunes downloads don't have the problem , just the CD.

Its not working for me. What is an asx file anyway?

download a program called FLip4mac , install then save the file from the MSN site and open it manually with Fliplayer. Should work.