Awful news. Billy meant so much to the band. The Beach Boy 'kids' referred to him as 'Uncle Billy'. He loved music but especially the Beach Boys music.

A damn great drummer, one of the best. A great guy and a great loss. 

Take care Brian and thank you for the music!
 

Oh great, I stop viewing the board for a year and then the real Brian Wilson turns up to say hi and I miss it!!!!

 

And for UK insomniacs 'Doin' It Again' and 'Live at Knebworth' are repeated at 1.05 and 2.05 am GMT.

I'm booking the sofa for a night in.

 

I didn't know what to expect but that's not quite what I was expecting!

 

Who is Carol Botnick?

Some sort of relation to Bruce Botnick?  Sunset Sound Engineer?

Well there's a Carol Botnick listed on Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford's web site....giving a testimonial.


http://www.marilynwilsonrutherford.com/testimonials.html

VDP did recall in an interview (not sure when) visiting the Getty Museum with his parents as a child and seeing a Van Gogh painting, probably the Wheatfield with Crows. This work is actually in Amsterdam but may have been at the Getty as part of an exhibition.

Van Dyke didn't offer this up as an explanation for the lyric mind you but he may have remembered it's imagery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatfield_with_Crows

Thank goodness - its like an old friend got ill and went into hospital, only to make a full recovery. What the hell am I saying?
Oh never mind welcome back!!!


 

If you go back far enough - Brian great-grandfather on Murry's side, Charles Sthole, was born in Smaland, Sweden, 10/10/1867.

For them as cares, Brian's other g-grandparents were born in Wisconsin (three), Illinois, (two), Ohio and Holland.

And if you go way way back to the 18th century you'll find that Brian's ancestors are also Scottish - Wilson is a Scottish surname.

Isn't it a Dennis composition/production, done independently of BW? That's also the case with Carl's 'Tones'. I can't wait, really. Later in his career, he had a habit of giving songs slightly vague working titles - I think in the Carlin he says both Make It Good and  Cuddle Up were both known as 'Old Movie', because of what they sounded like, so 'I Don't Know' doesn't really suggest it's a throwaway.

Would this be the earliest Dennis composition released, then?

Alan Boyd, in reply to a question from me about 'I Don't Know' on this board about 18 months ago said that it was just a tracking session, no vocals. He didn't say what it sounded like. 'I Don't Know' was probably a working title and one he did use at least one more time (that I can recall). I would have thought that it was indeed Dennis's first known composition but we'll have to wait and see.

BBC News announcing release of TSS in the UK on 31 October.

Story at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14729256.

C'mon Amazon UK and get off yer backsides!!

A lot of the details are well documented elsewhere though. Darian asked if there were any more bits to DYLW, and Brian started humming it. Darian had a vintage lyric sheet, but they couldn't read one of the words. They faxed it to VDP, and this was how he became involved in the project

But yes, according to Darian , the Rock Rock Roll lyrics were supposed to go on Holidays as well as DYLW, and that is straight from Brian. Maybe they were once supposed to go together, same tempo and rhythm!

Absolutely- I think what Darian asked Brian after listening to the GV box version of DYLW together, was there any more, to which Brian replied yes, that there was another melody and an Indian chant.

 

Wait didn't Frank Holmes do artwork for the proposed SMiLE box set in the 1990's? I recall that there was new illustrations but did he ever hand them over to Capitol? If he did perhaps they intend to use them for 'The SMiLE Session' box.

I guess if he was paid for the latter then that might be a possibility.

23) After freaking out about the 'Fire' music starting fires in LA, Brian at first abandons the idea of a suite about the Elements but then comes up with an alternative plan.

As Capitol expects Elements themed music as part of SMiLE, Brian decides to cover Tom Lehrer's 'Elements' song -after all who's not to know it was about chemistry rather than earth, fire, air and water.

This is Lehrer's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYW50F42ss8

In an apparently conciliatory gesture after his criticism about the project Brian asks Mike Love to do the lead vocal. The track is recorded but the session does not go well as Mike struggles with the tempo of the song. The tape is then wiped (although an acetate still exists in Brian's tape library) and is completely forgotten about. It is rumoured that Brian is often heard listening to a 'weird' version of this song in his music room whilst occasionally erupting into gulfs of hysterical laughter.

Sometime in the 1970's, Brian asks Mike to sing  'The Battle Hymn of the Republic'......Revenge is a dish best served cold they say.

Larry died 8 May 2008 on his 80th birthday. He had a web site which is still up. Some nice studio pictures.

http://www.larrylevinerecordingengineer.com/

The guy to the right of the picture looks a bit like recording engineer, Larry Levine who was based at Gold Star at this time.



This is a pic of Larry - not sure from which period - early 60's I think.

When I first heard it I swore I had heard it sometime in the mid-to-late nineties...I didnt think stereolab buit something,...has it been covered by somebody?

I don't know of a cover version that far back but certainly Eddi Reader (ex Fairground Attraction) recorded it, under the title 'Sweet Mountain of Love', on her 2009 solo LP 'Love Is The Way'.

 

Whether Smile era tracks such as Carl's 'Tones' or Dennis's 'I Don't Know' will be included is doubtful imho.

Alan Boyd did confirm on this board (about 2 years ago) that a tracking session tape for the latter does exist and that he has heard it. No description though.

Thanks Jon. I can be charming when I want and say what ever it takes to get what i want   If not, I can get as close as possible.

Yup you're definitely Denny's daughter!!!!

 

Okay, the only problem is that "agriculture" is a 2003/2004 lyric.  

The 1966 lyric is "open country."

Brian rather rushes his way through the H&V demo and often mumbles his lines but after repeated listening on headphones (come on and try it - millions of others have) you will agree it ain't 'open country' he's singing.
This was discussed on this board before (way back) and the general concensus was that  'I'm in the great shape of the agriculture' is 100% 1966 vintage. Actually it's more like 'I'm in the great shape of the 'agrrrrhuture'.

Issuing them in 78 rpm format but not on shellac! What were they thinking?

 

It's a question I have asked on this board a couple of times.

I have read that Heroes & Villains was more expensive than Good Vibrations to record -which may be an indicator that overall costs for the sessions were relatively high for an album of this period, especially an aborted project like Smile.

Someone may have the figures out there.

 

Whoops, yes it was indeed Gregg, sorry. Must have been the emotion of it all!

Of course Ed, you're right to mention Howie Edelson, great work behind the scenes.

I'll be watching again.

 

It was a very fine documentary which I think gave a fair and balanced account of Dennis's life. It was a little disappointing but not surprising that many of the leading players in his life, those that are still around of course, were not directly involved in the film.

However the main contributors, including David Marks, Ed Roach,Jon Stebbins and the rest  must stand up and take a bow for making this happen. Jim Guercio's tears near the end almost got me going as well!

The music was of course brilliant

Thanks guys