The aforementioned video is actually my extraction. The truth is, it's actually much easier to just suppress the backing track and leave the vocals in mono. I imagine a hypothetical official remix would do this, as the quality is much less shifty. Getting it in real stereo is a whole other monster -- fine for something like my demo, but unsuitable for actual release.

This does raise a question I've been meaning to ask for a while though, when asked about a stereo mix a few years back, Bruce (I think) said something which I found interesting, something like there not being enough vocal stems left for a stereo mix, the impression I got from that was that there are some vocal parts surviving, if that is the case and not just a misinterpretation on my part does anyone know what's left and what's not?

There are some things, like the "hum-be-dums". But the vast majority of it appears to be gone, and no one's seen the vocal overdub tape since the original mix down in '66.

Currently, I don't think there are any vocals-only mixes derived from extraction software, although that's bound to change eventually.

Also, I once read about a pseudo-isolation done by phase-cancelling the mono track with the mono master, but I've personally never heard it.

Sounds mono to me, I bought it last month

Really? The originals maybe, but definitely not the standards.

Something worth keeping in mind: this is not a black-and-white scenario, where one good extraction means anything can automatically be done. Every extraction depends on many factors: the quality of the source material, the software used, the amount of time and money the controlling forces are willing to put into it, and the judgment and taste of the engineer(s).

I'm not saying it won't ever happen, but really: flying in some stems or extracting the lead vocal from Barnyard are easier tasks than Good Vibrations by an order of magnitude.

It's also worth pointing out that, whether they realize it or not, most fans have different standards for fan mixes and officially-released mixes. The one that I put on YouTube -- which I think is what some people here are referring to -- is pretty good for a fan mix, but were I in Mark and Alan's shoes, I would never approve it.

Although I'd love to hear them do an attempt, I really respect the fact that they're not just running out and capitalizing on the technology, and there are definitely producers out there who would not have that kind of restraint.

[Brian]

This was fun. Here are my votes:

Brian: How do you even choose? I could give you four I love equally (IJWMFTT, WIBN, KMB, SU66), but right now I'll just say "Don't Worry Baby." Touching delivery, amazing tone, and a fragility that I've always resonated with.

Carl: "God Only Knows." You could find a dozen great contenders for Carl's best, but for me this has always been the one, and I'm not sure I can articulate why.

Dennis: "Forever." I love his voice on Sunflower, and "Slip On Through" is a very close second for me, but this one edges out. Gruff beauty; whatever he did that day, he imparted that message 100%.

Mike: "Fun, Fun, Fun." Some folks are going to say "All I Wanna Do," which is cool, but I think a large reason that's impressive is because he doesn't sing like that very often. "Fun, Fun, Fun," on the other hand, is the man in his prime. This is what he loves to sing about -- and you hear it in every last syllable.

Al: "Help Me Rhonda." This, along with "Then I Kissed Her," describes Al at his best: bright, boyish, spirited, versatile. Vocally, the secret weapon.

Bruce: "Disney Girls." When I hear this one, it sounds like a guy who was raised on old standards, the classics. And there's something about that youthful tone and delivery that's totally well-suited to lamenting a bygone decade.

Dropbox is fabulous. You get 2GB free, and every account has a public folder where you can store files and easily provide download links for others.

The "Child Of Winter" single has Brian, Ricky, and Blondie on the front!!!!

I recall hearing that Brian was pasted in from this photo.

My three favorites would have to be Smile, Sunflower, and Love You. The latter in particular has grown on me over time -- it's the kind of design you could use today with very little updating. The little tiles are just great; it's like proto-pixel art.

That was fun. Extra bonus points for pulling out that reference to The Monkey's Uncle.

Other than attributing a Brian line to Mike, I believe a post from the Hoffman forums has it:

The following is sung during the chours of "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times":

1. Sometimes I feel very sad. (Brian)
2. Cuando sere? Un dia sere. (In English: When will it be? One day it will be.)
3. Ain't found the right thing I can put my heart and soul into. (Mike)
4. People I know don't wanna be where I'm at. (Brian, falsetto)

It's interesting to read how many albums are on people's lists. "Flawless" is an awfully strong word, and "I don't skip it" is pretty light criteria. A flawed song is not necessarily a bad song; I know plenty of albums with a flawed song or two that I'll still happily listen to in sequence -- especially from the BB's.

In my mind, the only album that is not just tolerable, but which I would not change anything about, is Pet Sounds.

Just my two cents, but the most I ever enjoyed Surf's Up was in the middle of consuming a lot of Beach Boys literature and stories, and getting an idea of its complicated history. Sometimes that stuff can color your opinion, which isn't a bad thing -- marketing and psychology have a lot to do with the enjoyment of any art -- but for me at least, it did make a difference.

Like Sunflower though, I don't love Surf's Up in full and usually just merge their best songs into one truncated twofer. I don't think anything is really bad, but I also don't remember the last time I listened to the entire thing.

Even though the original version has been released already, "Still I Dream Of It" deserves a fresh recording and a wider audience. imo. The original is really nice, don't get me wrong.

I'll second that. I always thought the Adult/Child version sounded too...smooth, I guess. That piano demo might be lo-fi, but I find it much more emotive.

And no live versions, right?

Maybe this one isn't fair because of all the fragments, but I'd say it's Heroes and Villains.

Has anyone here managed to isolate the chorus vocals? (both new and old)

I would love to hear that, but i don't know how to really go about trying to isolate vocals from a mono mix without an identical instrumental version or some sort of sound-spectrum software (similar to the one used for a Good Vibrations stereo mix that one smiley smiler here put together)

For what it's worth, a quick "pull open SonicWORX for 20 minutes and see what the options are" test sounded very thin and unremarkable. And, granted, that's not a lot of time to spend in an app like that, but compared with a similar test, some Good Vibrations extractions sounded sterling.

4.  Rhythm:  Not much way out there going on here, but the temple blocks are on a somewhat unexpected beat pattern.

I always thought it was interesting how the bass, not the percussion, drives the track in the verses. That's pretty jazzy too, no?

Maybe it's just me, but I think the fact that the main driving force shifts from bass to drums to temple blocks to back to drums is pretty neat.

Yeah, just to reiterate what people have said here: Heroes and Villains in its stages of being recorded during the Smile Sessions never really seemed to have the hook required for it to be a smash hit. It's funny because Brian could be a master at writing those melodic hooks ("I'm pickin' up good good vibrations", "I wish they all could be California Girls" "Help me Rhonda, help help me Rhonda - get her out of my heart!" etc.) but he doesn't seem to trying to do that with H&V - and, of course, he doesn't have to, it's a brilliant and great song but to me doesn't have enormous hit single potential.

Bingo. That's always been my problem with H&V, too -- brilliant song, but not great hit material. Maybe the right fragments are in there somewhere, but I think the released version was doomed.

[Surf's Up]

Highlights for me:

1. Surf's Up, both the 1966 and 1967 renditions. I guess I've heard sync ups of Brian with the track before, but having the 1971 elements sound so clear and proper is just really cool.

2. Vega-Tables. I already liked the 2004 version and Purple Chick's reconstruction, but hearing both "Sleep a Lot" choruses was a ton of fun, and the track itself has never sound better.

3. Pretty much everything in the Backing Vocals Montage. I had the dumbest grin on my face when the Cabinessence "over and over" vocals showed up. Spine-tingling.

4. Wind Chimes. Wow. This was my favorite track on BWPS, because of the structure and the way the drums sounded. Mark and Alan did a really great job of opening this version up and channeling that same power.

5. And for that matter, the entire last movement of CD1. Fire has never sounded creepier, Dada is crisp and the fly-ins work great, and Good Vibrations really sounds like it could've always been an album closer.

Edit: And an honorable mention to Child is Father of the Man. Even though I still prefer the BWPS version, there's something really special about hearing those verse sections sound so pristine, and the new backing vocals are fascinating.

How 'bout just upload it to a filesharing site?

That said, mixes you might be able to improve upon today would be Mike's bridge vocal on "Wouldn't It Be Nice".

I think the issue in 1996 was that they were just plain missing the multi-track with that bridge on it. Are you saying that they have subsequently found it or that they now have the better capability of "flying it in" and the edit would sound cleaner now?

I wasn't clear enough, but yeah, the latter. What I meant to say: not only could you improve Mike's fly-in, but you could probably put Brian back on "God Only Knows" with very few side effects.

[Smile]

So you really think, if "Heroes & Villains" goes to #1 across the world, Brian still releases Smiley Smile? For some reason, I can't envision it. We know that there was at least a little talk of Brian completing Smile in late '67, but considering that "H&V" tanked, his continued lack of enthusiasm was understandable.

No idea. Maybe they still would've put it out, just because it would still be easier than completing Smile. I just don't think a smash hit and shelving Smiley Smile automatically means Smile would have been completed.

Heck, for a band that shifts gears that quickly, it would have been no less bewildering to just shelf both, then skip right to Wild Honey.

Well, that's complicated -- Jack Rieley has both a spotty record and, by that point in his interview, was recalling a conversation that happened probably 25 years ago. But for the sake of debate, let's assume that Jack Rieley is correct in his statement, that Brian told him the poor performance of H&V was the reason for scrapping Smile.

I still don't think that's true, and I don't believe the success of the single would have made much of a difference.

Obviously, we'll never really know, but just because Brian says H&V was the problem does not make it so. I think that, from Brian's perspective, blaming chart performance was the most convenient -- and qualitative -- way to see the problem. Issues like this are immensely complicated enough to explain, let alone understand in your head. Even the people at the heart of them can have clouded memories.

And just look at the sessions. They are numerous, immensely complex, and still incomplete. If the single did really well, it still took months to finish it, and very little of the rest of the album could be considered truly done. Even if he was granted the time, do you think Brian -- in the midst of drug abuse and still struggling to piece together one single -- could pull off an entire album without losing his sanity?

Given the rest of the issues in his life at the time, I think Brian knew he was in over his head, put out Smiley Smile because it would be easy, and decided to recede and play the rest by ear. Not scrapped, but instead some gray, fuzzy middle between in progress and shelved. The fact that H&V wasn't a hit certainly didn't help, but it would not have turned the tides.

[Smile]

I can't see any Smile songs being a good fit on Pet Sounds, except maybe "Wonderful". That's kind of why I like the album, though. But I always thought "Trombone Dixie" and "Let's Go Away For A While" were kind of proto-Smile in style.

They're not very alike.
Pet Sounds is more emotional for me, more direct, more of a perfect album. Not a weak moment on that album. I recognize myself in the very personal lyrics.
Smile is like an entire world of its own. It's more special, more experimental, more psychotic than emotional. Very exciting lyrics.
It's like walking inside Brian's disturbingly active imagination, while Pet Sounds is more about love, loss, emotions. Can't really say I like one of them more than the other, but Pet Sounds has always been a PERFECT album for me.

I'd say you've nailed it.