The liner notes on the CD imply that it's an organ that apparently wasn't recorded with enough "gain", therefore it disorts.  Personally, I think it sounds exactly like a single trumpet
note that doubles the organ, since it has that natural, warbly "spitty" sound.

Funny how I was just listening to that the other day, thinking about that buzzing sound, and
so apparently was someone else!

Craig

Aaaaargh! The Jeff Lynne drum sound, its hideous. I wouldn't think it's a sample, just some twisted mind at work to try and resurrect the 'Ringo' sound. It sounds like someone banging a shed - most recently heard on Tom Pettys 'Highway companion' album!

The drum sound on Brin's colloboration with Lynne, "Let It Shine", sounds pretty good (meaning "normal").

Thanks for the info!

More info...Jon Stebbins posted somewhere once that the track was actually co-produced by Dennis and his buddy Garby Leon.  Dennis played the drums and Brian did pretty much everything else, short of the horns, which were overdubbed at a separate session in January '81.  Jon said he was pretty sure the first session was at Village Recorder.  Chuck Britz once said that Brian's vocal was done at Western (I think he said this to AGD around 1985), and Jon reports that the horn overdub was done at Sounds Good Recording.  This was by far the most-developed recording from the "Cocaine Sessions" era.  The only thing lacking would be the Beach Boys backing vocals, then it would've made a great cut on their early '80s album (that never was).

Craig

Isn't it about Stevie Nicks?

Yep.

Wow,

This song is so cool. When I got the KTSA two fer this past weekend, I was sure if there was going to be anything good besides the usuals (goin on, getcha back) But this Carl tune is so great and fresh. Does anybody know what type of sound carl was going for here? I mean, he does use is usual big vibrato that he usual does, in fact, he doesnt have one at all. My brother and I noticed that this was a more Eagles, America style song. Any thoughts?

It was an attempt at a country-western crossover.  In fact, I rememer it being played on the local AM station in my hometown when it was released as a single, and the DJ commented on the fact that the Beach Boys seemed to be "going country" with this one.

Thanks Craig.  There were almost more Dragons than Wilsons in the Beach Boys at one point, huh?  Haha.  Kathy Dragon, interesting.

Yeah...it's also interesting that Bruce himself strummed the mandolin on the intro to this song. 

Yes, I wish you'd kept the Disney Girls response too...

Have no fear...I did:

"Disney Girls".......
Dennis Dragon on drums......Ed Carter on acoustic and electric guitar(s)........Bruce Johnston on upright piano, moog bass, and mandolin on intro.....Kathy Dragon on flute in the bridge......The Beach Boys backing vocals......Steve Desper engineer. Track and vocals recorded and mixed on 16 track at Brian's home studio.

Bruce Johnston
Santa Barbara
January 22, 2005

Dennis is credited with "percussion" on Endless Harmony.

Is that him drumming on "Love Surrounds Me" and "Angel Come Home"?

Bobby Figueroa on "Angel", probably Dennis on "LSM"...Ed Roach recalled helping Dennis set up some drums in the hallway at the studio for that song.  Bobby's webiste says he's on the song too, but I would think he's probably doing the timbales at the end.

Yep. Every member, except for Bruce, I think, had at least a little lead on that song.

And "Wnd Chimes", too, I think.  Denny definitely does on both songs. 
I don't think Bruce is on much of "Smiley Smile", save for "Heroes", "Good Vibes", and probably the tag of "Vegatables".

After 20/20, with the exception of the 1976 sessions (15BO and Love You), did Dennis play drums on any Beach Boys' albums?

Sure, but not as much.  Like, he's drumming on "Student Demonstration Time", and probably "Long Promised Road" and I think "Got To Know The Woman" and "When Girls Get Together" (some overdubs over the basic track on these last two).  Also, "Child Of Winter", "Good Timin'", "Shortenin' Bread", "Love Surrounds Me", and maybe the drum roll on "Baby Blue".  Desper says he played bongos on "Cool Cool Water".  I think that's about it, but there might be some others scattered throughout.

Craig

Surf's Up, CATP & Holland are almost exclusively played by the core band.

Really?! Wow...the improvement is phenomenal.

That's because by the point of the last two-mentioned albums, the core band included Ricky Fataar & Blondie Chaplin, two musicians of great talent.

[Surf's Up]

Surf's Up, CATP & Holland are almost exclusively played by the core band.

And In Concert, of course. 

Thereafter the sidesmen proliferate. Except on Love You.

And MIU, which is mostly the core stage band of the time. 

if you just pulled out Brian's music and played that by itself....well, it was pretty abstract and strange and yet also Brian-esque and kind of mind-boggling. In my memory.

Similar at all in quality to, say, "My Solution" or the "Fairytale" stuff?

Who moderates it?

Mike Love? 

P.S.: do I get any kind of award for worse grammatically-constructed sentence?

Craig

Maybe I will for THIS sentence (i.e. "worse" instead of "worst")...

Craig

Sorry if I seemed a bit terse - yesterday was not a good day.

Andrew, I've seen you sounding much terser! 
P.S.: do I get any kind of award for worse grammatically-constructed sentence?

Craig

BTW, Carl reportedly used cigarettes to deliberately "roughen up" his voice, as well, to give it the rock/r'n'b edge he desired.  I'm not saying that's the only reason any of the Wilson Bros. smoked, but I think they liked what it did to their voices.  They wanted the tougher, more "manly" image and sound at that point in their careers and lives. 

Craig

I think Murry's death had a profound impact on both Brian & Dennis.  Neither could bring himself to attend the funeral, and in the year folowing his death they both began to reach new heights of "over indulgence" in:  cigarettes, booze, drugs, and sex (Dennis), and cigarettes, booze, drugs, and food (Brian).  I believe they both tried to allow Murry to live on through them by adopting a courser appearance and mannerism, trying to be "men" for the first time in their lives, as opposed to "boys".  We see this in Brian's deliberate near-abandonment of his wonderful falsetto voice in favor of lower-register singing, and Dennis acting more "macho" than ever before. 

Craig

I have to wonder why an official BB message board is not better known than it is.

Maybe it's overly-moderated?

If it were about Brian, I tend to think he would've written the last verse as "I am BRIAN - and I write the songs".  Seriously, I'm sure he was thinking at least a little of Brian when he wrote it, but probably wanted to make it as universal as possible. 

i've heard some say that Bruce wrote this for Brian, any evidence behind this? it'd be really cool...and Brian is the ultimate mentor for the rest of the group, espcially Bruce, being the outsider...

Bruce has said it's about the force behind the songs everyone writes.  He said if it's about anyone, it's about God.

I think the guy thought of the Remember The Zoo debacle, in which Tones was slotted.

Interesting to note that the first AFM sheet for "Tones" lists the artist as "Carl Wilson" and the employer as "Brother Records", whereas on later documentation for subsequent sessions (including the vocal session), the artist is "The Beach Boys" and the employer is "Capitol Records". 
Would almost seem that this was a track Carl cut with the intention of eventually using it as either a solo vehicle or for an outside artist on the Brother label (which was intended for such creative outlets), but quickly diverted it to the Beach Boys. 

Also interesting is that musically, it sounds more like a Brian song of the era than what you might expect a Carl song to sound like.  As if Carl was "trying" to have this sound like Brian's music was soundng. 

C-Man

I can't remember the specifics, but that alternate "Good Vibrations" video is from either 1968 or 1969, so it's not contemporary to the single release.

At this point, with Smile done, they are artifacts from the 60s. It isn't that they are not worth pursuing, they are. But when Briian and Van Dyke picked up in 2003, they were working with what they had plus their memories. Smile as finished is from 2004. A Smile Box would be welcome, and I would buy one, but at this point, anything found would be unrelated to the finished Smile.

Anything Brian does is usually worth hearing, Smile 66/67 especially. I hope they put aside differences and assemble a box set. It is tragic that full compilations of the Basement Tapes and Smile 66/67 are not available commercially.

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I totally agree with Peter.  "SMiLE" is a work that was unfinished and abandoned in the '60s, returned to and finished in '03/'04, with the original recordings serving as the templates.  I would not call them demos, but rather "Brian's first attempt to do 'SMiLE'", as compared to the new version, which is "Brian's finished 'SMiLE'".  That's how history should view it.  Again, the originals DO have great value, and should be pursued, but as for a finished piece of art...only "BWPS" can lay claim to being that, and anything that didn't make it into the finished version needs to be considered "outtakes" out of necessity.  And Brian's outtakes ARE usually worth their weight in gold, for sure...especially the ones from such a significant project.  Let's hope Brian's healed enough to allow their eventual release. 

You're welcome Michael.  What surprises me is that we don't have more recent information on them, as in, I'm not aware of anyone reaching out to Durrie Parks and either asking her if the acetates were found and thus heard.

Well, who has access to her?...if anyone on this board does, this is your cue.