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680597 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 09:42:08 AM
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1  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: The End of Friends on: May 03, 2006, 12:50:55 PM
By the way, it just occurs to me that the snipped ending on side two of Friends could have been an "inspiration" for the similar ending of side one of Abbey Road, provided this was the original "fade" on the original Friends, and not just an inadvertant quirk of that Japanese twofer release. Also, as I think of it, "I Want You (Heavy)" was originally intended as the end of the whole album, but at some point in the process the sides of AR were flopped.
2  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / The End of Friends on: May 03, 2006, 12:06:21 PM
Question: on the Japanese Capitol Friends/Honey vinyl twofer that I originally purchased and idiotically gave to my sister when the thing came out on CD in the late 80's, "TM" has the weirdest fadeout I believe I've ever heard on a "pop song".

It goes from full volume to maybe one-quarter volume within the course of....ONE BEAT. Then after another few measures (I think...haven't heard it in years) of one-quarter volume, it just cuts off. Snip. Like they ran out of tape. Coming after those harmonies, which are weird even for a jazzy piece, this is jarring beyond all reason.

On the CD, "TM" instead features a standardish fade, followed by bonus tracks. I should have done the "Indian giver" routine on my sister as soon as I heard this, but the bonus tracks distracted me, I guess.

Could any of you people shed light on the disparity between vinyl and CD? I'll bet y'all can!
3  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1960's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Friends on: May 03, 2006, 12:02:46 PM
This is one of my absolute favorites; a record only the Beach Boys could make and probably the most coherent (in terms of stylistic unity) record the Boys made in the "Produced by The Beach Boys" years. Easily a five.

4  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1960's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Smiley Smile sequence on: May 03, 2006, 11:48:59 AM
-- The critical question:  Who was for or against releasing it?  If Brian wanted it released, who could stop him?  (I realize I'm drifting into "the thread" territory-- sorry!)
What is this "the thread" of which you speak. I've seen this repeatedly mentioned on the board, and would like to be enlightened (or disturbed, or entertained, or disgusted or....)
5  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1960's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Smiley Smile on: May 03, 2006, 08:19:21 AM
"Whistle In" sounds like an attempt to ape a McCartney-march like "Penny Lane", but without mustering McCartneys melodic inventiveness.
"Whistle In" is indeed a fragment, and BW is aping someone, but it ain't McCartney. Both Wilson and McCartney are superb melodicists, and "Whistle In" obviously isn't an attempt at a great melody line, but McCartney's bouncing marches owe a lot to his love of Pet Sounds, nay? And if you try singing the"Gotta keep those..." melody from "GV's" over "Whistle In", you'll find that it's very easy...same bass line, similar if not same chords (I haven't studied this), although in a different key.

Brian is aping himself here, and rehashing a fragment from the same side of the L.P. to boot!

As to the larger question, I also gave Smiley 3 stars. I LOVE weirdness; "Diamond Head" and "Transcendental Meditation", for instance, are two of my absolute fav BB tracks. But this one doesn't have the care evident in the better "Produced by the Beach Boys" works, and it's just too much of a sorry substitute for "SMiLE".
6  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Let's hear it for the Voice of the Tree on: May 02, 2006, 11:22:28 AM
The whole fade is brilliant.
Oh yeah! The whole thing is kind of reminiscent of the fade on "God Only Knows", right? Doesn't the AJ/BW voice fade in mid-phrase? Yes. I'm listening to it now. Sometimes it sounds like Brian, others like Al. The pipe organ is really spectacular sounding. Who played it? I love this group!
7  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Let's hear it for the Voice of the Tree on: May 02, 2006, 09:26:17 AM
Who's the last featured singer to come in? I'm guessing AJ (from memory).
8  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Clairaudient Music Corp on: May 02, 2006, 09:15:11 AM
I read that in the 70's, Landy had BW writing at least one song a day. perhaps some of these titles date from that period. Wild guess, of course.
9  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Stack-o-Tracks LP for $50 on: May 01, 2006, 01:35:04 PM
I got it with the book!
How accurate and detailed is that book, by the way? I've always wondered about that. I was bummed when I bought the CD two-fer back in the late Eighties and it included no charts...as advertised on the cover.
10  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: back of the PS album showing the future? on: May 01, 2006, 01:32:25 PM
Bruce and Dennis might not have been best friends, but they thought highly of each other, from what I've been able to tell. 
Is that Dennis singing "doo-de-doo...dee-doo-de-doo..." at the end of "Disney Girls"? If so, its a shame that it's the only prominent spot for his voice on Surf's Up - and kudos to Bruce for putting him there. Then you have "Student Demonstration Time". Mmm, what a contrast.
11  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Let's hear it for the Voice of the Tree on: May 01, 2006, 01:22:51 PM
Him trying to do all the parts the way he was at the time, would be really disturbing  Brow
You mean Brian on "Tree"? His voice still sounded okay around '71, no? Unfortunately, it did not sound so great around '74 or so...anyway, for what it's worth, sounds like the right choice on that one. Van Dyke Parks sounds great, too.
12  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Was Pet Sounds really a Beach Boys album? on: May 01, 2006, 11:15:29 AM
Pet Sounds is a Beach Boys album.
Maybe some of us forgot to look at the label? Shocked
13  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: when Wilson met Spector on: May 01, 2006, 10:59:49 AM
...didn't George Harrison like this tune a whole lot?...
Dunno, but I heard Lennon play it as a guest DJ. It was a smash in England, correct?
14  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Was Pet Sounds really a Beach Boys album? on: May 01, 2006, 10:35:00 AM

Sorry, but as much as I enjoy Smiley Smile, it's not in the same universe as Pet Sounds. And SMiLE ('67) would have been sensational and triumphant, especially in its day.

Brian Wilson was absolutely made for his times, and it's a shame that at least some of the Beach Boys tried to hamper him in pursuing his vision. When Mozart's in your corner, you let him call the shots.

Carl's famous baseball analogy is as apt as they come: Instead of hitting a grandy, BW tried bunting the Beach Boys over. Out at the plate.
15  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Let's hear it for the Voice of the Tree on: May 01, 2006, 10:02:57 AM
I actually like the lyrics more from the perspective of one person.
yeah, it's funny now that you mention it, and I haven't heard this one in a while, but I remember thinking it was odd that the few lines were sung solo, rather than in harmony. So this wasn't intended as a duet after all.

Why not give it to one of the other Boys if range was a problem? Straight back to my overall question...
16  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Let's hear it for the Voice of the Tree on: May 01, 2006, 08:47:01 AM

I was, as always, impressed with the collective effort here at identifying most (nearly all?) of the guest vocals done at BB recording sessions of the 60's and 70's.

I believe that perhaps the most inspired choice was "A Day in the Life of a Tree". Dennis, for one, could have sung it beautifully, but JR actually sounds like a dying tree! Also, “Let’s Put Our Hearts Together” is written as a man/woman duet, so obviously it wouldn’t have made sense for the other Boys to sing there.

But “exceptions proving the rule” notwithstanding, with at least 5 (sometimes as many as 7) great voices to draw on, why would this group ever bring in outside singers?
17  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Outside singers on: April 28, 2006, 01:02:23 PM
I actually mentioned BA initially...I guess Chilton never made it to that session...
18  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Outside singers on: April 28, 2006, 12:41:17 PM
sh*t, you guys are quick!

I have to say, by the way, that the choice of Reily for ADITLOAT is so inspired. Does that guy sound like a dying tree, or what?

Still waiting on Chilton...
19  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Outside singers on: April 28, 2006, 12:35:54 PM

I noticed a report that Murry sang on "Be Here in the Morning" and found that somewhat remarkable for various reasons...not least that the while the BBs used all kinds of outside instrumentalists, they seem to have seldom brought in outside vocal talent, Dean on "Barbara Ann"notwithstanding.

How often did this happen? Any other prominent examples come to mind?

I remember reading once that Alex Chilton got a call to get his pipes over to Brothers Studios pronto to sing on a BB recording (or words to that  effect...I definitely remember the word "pipes"...and AC is not a bagpipist). Did that ever happen? Maybe he was their first choice for "BHITM"! His voice did sound awfully deep on that early Box Tops stuff.

20  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Keyboard sounds on the "Wild Honey" LP on: April 07, 2006, 10:44:36 AM
Hi folks. Lovely topic here!

I read Marilyn R. Wilson in the Leaf (I think) book years ago saying that Brian had his piano at home tuned "for his ears" or words to that effect. The Wild Honey sound is fairly consistent there for a couple of years (~'67-68?) right? So it seems that Brian may have wanted it that way all the time.

Today, I read audio engineer Michael Green paraphrasing Brian Wilson, who was remarking in a recent interview that the problem with pop music today is that everyone is using electronic tuners. Green goes on to finger Auto-Tune software as another culprit, and interprets Brian's quote to mean that when everything is in perfect tune, music becomes dead on arrival.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue23/green.htm

Assuming Green's analysis is correct, might Brian also feel that edging tuning right to the brink of "correctness" creates a special excitement, and is therefore desireable?

In a related developement, I read on wikipedia that Brian Wilson is supposed to have perfect pitch, which surprised me. Can anyone verify? Of course, I was even more surprised that Mia Farrow and Yanni are also purported to have perfect pitch!

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

Thanks folks.
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