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680597 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 11:21:48 AM
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1  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: RS Ranks TWGMTR #30 Single of 2012 on: December 07, 2012, 10:33:11 AM

As far as a song that connected universally and proved that music no matter what you think of the song has some power to bring folks together, I'd vote Psy and "Gangnam Style" #1 of 2012. The record was ubiquitous for a reason - it was catchy as hell and the guy who did it has a great sense of humor about it.

For top-40 musical quality, catchiness, and relevance, I'd vote "Take A Walk" by Passion Pit.

Best pure rock and roll sound and sheer joy of bashing out a few chords very loud: Jack White "Sixteen Saltines".


Agree with all of this, particularly "Sixteen Saltines." Seriously, is Jack White a monster soundman, or what? It's amazing how something relatively basic can still sound interesting without inching into the derivative.

Maybe this is just me, but I was also impressed that "Somebody I Used to Know," a song of considerable worldly influence and no real drumbeat, became a smash #1 song.

(Oh, and I guess the Beach Boys thing is pretty cool, too.)
2  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: Groups/Artists that make you want to throw the radio out the window! on: October 22, 2012, 02:44:56 PM
Damn! Forgot Adele. The fat minging bitch. And Susan Boyle - she's so ugly on Halloween children will only treat or treat her by phone. When she performs in public she should be made to wear a bag over her head.

You know, I thought this thread would be kind of entertaining at first, so it's disappointing to see someone wielding their anonymity to post something so pathetic and fun-killing in one fell swoop.
3  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Details on the new greatest hits albums and remasters on: October 20, 2012, 12:08:09 PM
I like a strict chronology on a hits package. Mike doesn't like that, and I get his point, but as someone who thinks the songs tell a better story when laid out by date, I happen to not agree

The Fifty Big Ones tracklist is a total mess. Chronological is the best approach to these things nine times out of ten, especially when working with fifty years of material with such drastic variation in sounds and styles over time.

There is a sweet spot between strictly chronological and "whatever we do live" that works when done right...but 50 Big Ones doesn't get there. I don't mind some mingling -- some of my playlists jump from "Hushabye" to "In My Room", and I like how "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations" bookends the last two big compilations. But something like "Kokomo" to "You're So Good To Me" just sounds odd.
4  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Is anyone else disappointed with the new, stereo edition of \ on: October 20, 2012, 11:56:08 AM
Big fan.

I don't think the new mix is revelatory, but there are lots of pleasant surprises -- the bass vocals in "With Me Tonight" are completely delightful -- and it's very faithful to the original mix's spirit (the Hawthorne mixes of "Heroes and Villains" and "Vegetables", by comparison, sound a little glossy.)

I will say that I was disappointed with the GV stereo extraction mix when I first got it -- partially because I wanted extracted vocals over the true stereo track, but probably mostly because I was dumb enough to pay for the Japanese import without listening to any previews. That's a minor complaint, though; now that I've sat on it for a couple months, it's perfectly listenable, and the rest of the album is excellent.
5  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: Beatles Rock Band multitracks! on: October 18, 2012, 02:43:58 PM
That's a shame - my genius attempt to weld the bassline of Drive My Car to the beat from Sgt Pepper's reprise has been thwarted. Back to the drawing board....

Beside the point, but: in this particular case, the drumbeat to the reprise is actually on Anthology 2 if you want to swipe it from there.  Smiley
6  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Official thread for Brian & Al's Official Response to Mike/Bruce Band Tour in the LA Times on: October 09, 2012, 07:58:46 AM
Aw yeah, now we're talking.

Grab the popcorn and put your cursor on Refresh, kids. This thread's gonna be fun.
7  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / Smiley Smilers Who Make Music / Re: The Official Smiley Smile e-Collaboration Thread (delegating parts now!) on: October 08, 2012, 01:02:28 PM
Wow -- I was just listening to the BW demo before I saw this thread and pondering a cover, so what a pleasant surprise!

I'm remote from any microphones that aren't a laptop for the next several days. I would love to sing the part when I'm back again, but if somebody needs/wants to take the part before then, that's totally cool.
8  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: When Mitt Romney becomes president.... on: September 04, 2012, 02:40:17 PM
Merely out of curiosity, rockandroll: assuming you live in the US, who would you vote for (if at all)?
9  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / Smiley Smilers Who Make Music / Re: Anyone use Bandcamp to distribute their music? on: September 04, 2012, 02:30:45 PM
I really like it. I'll echo seltaeb: it's no ticket to make a lot of money, but as a promotional tool it's excellent.
10  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: ISN'T IT TIME SINGLE VERSION (BBC Radio 2) LISTEN NOW on: September 04, 2012, 02:27:19 PM
Aaaand swing and a miss.

But hey, it wouldn't be the Beach Boys without some kind of f*ck-up.
11  Smiley Smile Stuff / Welcome to the Smiley Smile board / Re: Forum Re-Design and Moderation on: August 23, 2012, 02:48:18 PM
Excellent project idea. And I'd be happy to contribute whatever HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP manpower that might be needed.

Various things I'd like:

- Better text viewing on mobile devices.
- In the "Recent Posts" section on the front page, fix the issue where thread titles with special characters will delete the entire thread title.
- Have the header link to the board itself, and not the smileysmile.net main directory.
- Some assurance that someone is regularly backing up the database.

How do we get the ball rolling on this? Mods, would you be able to help us out?
12  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: The Original Kokomo on: August 20, 2012, 01:45:06 PM
I think it's boring.

Granted, the production on the original is less grating and more natural, but otherwise, the changes were warranted. No version of Kokomo would make my list of favorite Beach Boys songs, but theirs is catchier and more exciting by a long stretch.
13  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's Wouldn't It Be Nice Vocal on: August 17, 2012, 08:35:05 AM
Why are you baffled? It's how the vast majority of people on the planet heard it first because it's THE FINISHED ALBUM.

Okay, okay -- baffled is probably too strong a word. I do get that. Like I said, utterly reasonable preference, probably my loss (note to self: avoid posting to message boards after a night of drinking). I still stand by my main point: I've always heard this extra it factor in Brian's performance that I've never gotten from Mike's. Compounded with the extraction issues in the revised stereo mix, and it's just never been a difficult choice for me.

Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go kick up a fuss on why I prefer Brian to Carl on Break Away. Wink
14  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's Wouldn't It Be Nice Vocal on: August 17, 2012, 12:52:54 AM
Listen to the way Brian attacks that vocal, either on the vocals-only track or the SOT. *That* is what a lead vocal on an all-time classic hit record sounds like. It's also the aspect that too many cover singers fail to include in their vocal, and they go for the soft-pretty-sweet elements rather than an all-out, belt-it-out vocal on that lead as Brian did. Al Jardine consistently nailed it in concert, though.

Yes.

Maybe it's just my loss, but honestly, I am baffled by the folks who out and out prefer Mike's vocal to Brian's. And that's not saying anything about the phasing and extraction-y nature of the 2001 mix. Brian's impassioned delivery, the way he effortlessly shifts from edgy to delicate -- it's the perfect amount of emotion, easily one of my absolute favorite vocal moments.
15  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Somewhat painful Bruce Johnston interview in a Dutch magazine on: July 31, 2012, 01:33:36 PM
Washington, DC banned guns in 1976. Their crime rates SKYROCKETED as a result. The Supreme Court overturned the ban over 30 years later...and crime did something unthinkable - it decreased.

DC's high crime rate was far and away the product of the crack epidemic, not because of a change in gun laws. Further, the crime rate has been falling steadily since the mid-90's. Not arguing either way about gun control -- just saying that your particular example doesn't hold up.
16  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: New Beach Boys 2012 Remasters! on: July 30, 2012, 04:53:16 PM
Got my Smiley Smile in today. For the most part, the remix is excellent; was it runnersdialzero who described it as "like the mono mix, but in stereo"? That's exactly it: you hear some new details, there's less noise, but it's not overly bright or reverbed in the slightest. I especially love all the bass-heavy tracks -- bass guitars, low vocals, whatever -- which are just so resonant and excellent: I forgot that this album has such an awesome low-end. And even though I thought I was done getting excited listening to new mixes of "Heroes and Villains," the Smiley edit in particular has always been my favorite, and they got it exactly right.

All that said, the stereo "Good Vibrations," although interesting, is a little disappointing. It's not as bad as AGD made it out to be, but I was assuming this would be a mix of the stereo track with the mono vocals. It's actually a complete extraction of the entire mono master (track and all), and in headphones, the stereo field sounds like it warbles a lot, which tends to happen with extractions. I think I understand what they were going for -- have all of the final mix be pulled from the same source, thus minimizing phasing/artifacts -- but there's part of me that still really wants to hear a version expertly engineered the other way.

EDIT: Oh, and I guess the mono sounds fine, too.
17  Smiley Smile Stuff / Polls / Re: Twofer polls #7, In Concert vs Live At Knebworth 1980 on: July 30, 2012, 10:49:22 AM
I can summarize my vote for Knebworth as such:

Ricky Fataar opens California Girls with flashy hesitation. Dennis Wilson opens California Girls with a thunderous slam.

There on, I had a favorite.
18  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / Smiley Smilers Who Make Music / Re: The Official Smiley Smile e-Collaboration Thread (delegating parts now!) on: July 19, 2012, 07:54:33 AM
Whoops. I've missed the last few pages of posts, but if someone gives me a clean track I can do the drums for Little Bird.
19  Smiley Smile Stuff / Concert Reviews / Re: Show 47: Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO 7/9/12 on: July 11, 2012, 06:09:04 PM
Completely agree with the both of you. What a delightful evening -- maybe Red Rocks just got them inspired that night, but it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.
20  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: new Nelson Bragg LP: \ on: July 11, 2012, 04:58:45 PM
It's not that unusual for songwriters and producers to have a passing knowledge of many instruments. But the distance between competence and expertise is much farther than most people realize.
21  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Adrian Baker ? on: July 11, 2012, 04:56:12 PM
I can't answer the question why a successful touring band of the Beach Boys caliber wouldn't, or couldn't, want somebody capable of hitting the notes regularly (which Jeff doesn't really always do). Maybe they just don't WANT somebody that good.

Jeff's role isn't just about singing. I'll bet it takes much more than musical ability to survive in the Beach Boys.
22  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / Smiley Smilers Who Make Music / Re: The Official Smiley Smile e-Collaboration Thread on: July 11, 2012, 11:12:41 AM
I've got a kit (mahogany shells, booming kick drum and a birch snare -- good for those big in-the-pocket drum sounds) and about ten good drum mics, so I'd be happy to contribute anything in that department.
23  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / Smiley Smilers Who Make Music / Re: The Official Smiley Smile e-Collaboration Thread on: July 11, 2012, 09:37:15 AM
I would love to be involved - can't read charts though. I'll leave it to the pros Smiley

Rock on!

Don't let that stop you! Almost all notation software nowadays can play back the parts for you, so you can memorize it by ear. I haven't read charts in a long time, so for me hearing it made everything ten times easier.
24  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / Smiley Smilers Who Make Music / Re: The Official Smiley Smile e-Collaboration Thread on: July 11, 2012, 09:34:43 AM
Count me in.

Assuming we're putting together a compilation of tracks: I really like the idea of having a different producer for each one, although I think we should also have an executive producer who's overseeing things.

Also: this is a very minor detail, but in addition to the participation rule, it'd be useful to specify a basic technical requirement (lossless files, no effects -- that kind of thing) for the actual files submitted, that way we get the most professional(ish) quality possible.
25  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: A bunch of us SmileySmilers recorded a cover of Add Some Music. Take a listen! on: July 11, 2012, 09:22:31 AM
I want to also thank Mr. Spengler for his role in all of this. Besides doing the essential (sometimes grinding) tasks of producing and performing, he also provided all the vocal charts (transcribed by ear, is that right?) and early mixes we needed to blend our parts, both of which were completely indispensable. Some excellent coordination and production was a big key in making this work.
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