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680597 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 01:04:24 PM
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76  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Did Brian Attempt The Lead Of Long Promised Road? on: June 08, 2017, 01:52:16 PM
<<I'd also say that stacks of Bruce, and stacks of Carl, and just the two together, have a distinct sound that doesn't necessarily match what we hear on "Good Timin'." Then again, the vocals have been overdubbed to such great extent for the song that perhaps stacks and stacks of Carl and Bruce would sound a bit different. If "GT" really is just the two of them, it's pretty heavy on "Carls" then, because the "stacks of Bruce" sound as heard on some of the backing vocals to "Full Sail" sound very different. >>

That was my thought as well, but Alan Boyd set me straight.  He's heard the multi-track and knows what's on it.  So I would defer to him.
77  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Did Brian Attempt The Lead Of Long Promised Road? on: June 07, 2017, 11:48:25 AM
<<One thing that had me thinking for years that Brian was doing the high part on Good Timin' was a picture of a 1978 or so vocal session including Brian, in which the caption seemed to indicate Good Timin' was being recorded. But that could have just been a set up shot to create an impression of total participation by Brian.>>

I think that shot is from the Criteria sessions.
78  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Did Brian Attempt The Lead Of Long Promised Road? on: June 07, 2017, 07:54:53 AM
<<I swore once it was Brian doing the falsetto on "Baby Blue" - and my ears are better than most for picking this stuff out - until Alan Boyd played me the solo track and demonstrated beyond a doubt it was Carl>>

I thought the same thing for decades until Alan put me right.  I was also convinced Brian sang bg on Good Timin' (the "...good, good ti - min'" section just before the first and second verse).  But Alan explained that he'd had a discussion with Bruce about putting out a vocals-only mix of the song.  Bruce told him he'd only hear "Carl and I" on there.  Apparently the multi-track confirmed it.  Carl could certainly sound like Brian when he wanted to. 
79  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Will there ever be a Jan and Dean box set? on: June 05, 2017, 12:29:11 PM
<<Guess I'm corrected... sadly most of my J&D is mono...>>

Jan's stereo mixes roar like finely tuned race cars.  I'd recommend, in no particular order, Ride the Wild Surf, Horace the Swingin' School Bus Driver, Anaheim, Azuza, Drag City, Hot Stocker.  Freeway Flyer, My Mighty GTO, Bucket T,  Quasimoto, Walk on the Wet Side, Little Old Lady, Fan Tan and Love & Hate.

From a big band perspective, the Command Performance live versions of Surf City, I Should Have Known Better and Louie, Louie also sound incredible in stereo.

The only set that, in my view, could use a remix, is Folk & Roll.  The stereo version is largely split track... vocals on one channel and most of the track on the other.   
80  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Will there ever be a Jan and Dean box set? on: June 05, 2017, 10:22:28 AM
<<I'd be happy with... you know, like real stereo?>>

All of Jan's productions were mixed in "real stereo" back in the day.  The mono mixes were done first but he personally supervised and directed the stereo mixes for every single and album up until the accident.  No need for "new" stereo mixes to be created.
81  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Will there ever be a Jan and Dean box set? on: May 31, 2017, 11:50:45 AM
I'd love to see a legit release of Filet of Soul someday.

Something else on my wish list would be a complete mono singles VOL. 3 - covering the J&D, WB and UA/Legendary Masked Surfers tracks between 1966-1976.
82  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: What Do You Consider As 5 Big Ones off 15 Big Ones? on: May 04, 2017, 08:48:20 AM
<<It's OK (single mix)
     Rock & Roll Music (2012 "Faders Up" mix) tied with 1976 single mix
     Palisades Park
     Back Home
     In the Still of the Night"

I have to say I also have a soft spot for the snippet of Tallahassee Lassie in Talk to Me
83  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Love You Re-Appreciation Thread #11: All Things 'I'll Bet He's Nice' on: May 04, 2017, 07:42:06 AM
The bridge is one of the greatest Brian's ever written, with one of the best Carl Wilson leads.  I love the trade off lead vocals with the three Wilson brothers.  And the tag (complete with Bruce) is classic.  With a little polish, this would have fit perfectly on Sunflower.
84  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: What Do You Consider As 5 Big Ones off 15 Big Ones? on: May 04, 2017, 07:39:58 AM
It's OK (single mix)
Rock & Roll Music (2012 "Faders Up" mix) tied with 1976 single mix
Palisades Park
Back Home
In the Still of the Night
85  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: Jan and Dean's Carnival of Sound-I'm confused on: April 28, 2017, 11:20:49 AM
<<Thanks again. I fully agree that the Columbia Yellow Balloon has an infinitely better arrangement than the original version.>>

For my money, different, not better. I love the original version, in terms of tempo and production.  It sounds more like a Jan & Dean record.  More punch.  And Gary Zekeley obviously agreed, as the tempo matches his Yellow Balloon version.  The CBS mix sounds more like a Turtles record which. I assume, was intentional.
86  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dennis Wilson's Bambu is getting a vinyl release for RSD '17. on: April 21, 2017, 08:40:27 AM
<<It looks like people were busting on this album cover earlier... I actually love it.  A lot.  The colors are great, the layout makes my eyes start at him, meander around the whole photo and then finally back to the boombox.  Then I look at the whole thing and I kind of see the ivy or whatever that is as angel's wings too.>>

The most fascinating thing for me, about that photo:  Dennis is looking off to his left.  Something else has gotten his attention, which is very evocative of the man himself, always moving on to the next thing, yet still anchored to his music in the boom box.

Wait until you see the entire album package.  It's elegant, beautiful and epic.  Simply stunning.
87  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Endless Harmony doc interviews on: April 17, 2017, 09:41:17 AM
In my view, this is an excellent film - and Alan Boyd is a very gifted filmmaker who happens to combine his tremendous talents with his unique insider perspective on the band.   I saw another thread, in response to an upcoming Grateful Dead documentary from Scorsese, which asked why the "definitive" documentary about the Beach Boys has never been made.

To tell the story properly would need - literally - hours of screen time.  It took episodes to tell the story of the Beatles - and that only covered 13 years.  You'd need at least three times that to cover the Beach Boys' checkered history.

So for me, from a feature film perspective, Boyd's Endless Harmony IS the definitive Beach Boys film.
88  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Jan & Dean Appriciation on: April 17, 2017, 08:14:05 AM
<<About the whole "Surfin" thing, I never interpreted the scene that way. Because J&D did record that song on their Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin album. Besides, Jan sang the bass vocal on their version. In the DMC movie, I thought the musicians in the scene were supposed to be The Beach Boys.>>

It wasn't intended to suggest J&D wrote Surfin'.  At the time of the film's initial airing, Dean told me the shooting script had been a two parter and had featured scenes with the Beach Boys (actors) recording Surfin' & Surfin' Safari - and also the Barbara Ann party sessions.   Orders came from CBS to make it a two hour instead of four hour movie and a tremendous amount of material was either dropped or telescoped.  I don't think Dean had much to do with the last changes... there are logistical errors with the music vs. the script that may have been the result.  For instance, in a car sequence, they hear Surfin' Safari by The Beach Boys on the radio, and fictional character "Linda" says, "That song has bomps and diddlyups just like yours."  Except that it doesn't.  it would have made far more sense to use "Surfin'" by the Beach Boys, for the radio.  But the film is full of errors... it shows the duo performing Dead Man's Curve live in July 1966, shows Dean playing - for the first time - Like A Summer Rain - for Jan in 1970... the setting for the crash is on a country road in the middle of nowhere, when, in fact, it happened on a nice shaded street of beautiful houses (I suspect permitting was cheaper for the crew to shoot this action in the middle of nowhere),  The list goes on.

It's the old Hollywood adage when it comes to biopics... why let the truth get in the way of a good story?  My estimations, based on conversations at the time and since then, was that, at a certain point, the principals just stood back, watched the film being made and hoped for the best.

Is it a historically accurate biopic?  No. 

Is it a good film?  Yes - from a dramatic standpoint, one of the finest rock and roll films from that era.  It certainly ranks up there with The Buddy Holly Story, itself guilty of a less than accurate story line.

And finally, it served its purpose in a manner no one expected.  It - literally - made Jan & Dean big stars all over again in a comeback that rivaled Al Jolson's spectacular return in 1946, after his own surprise biopic.   They successfully toured for another 25 years after that movie aired.

So, for me, it'll do, until somebody tells the story in an even better way.
89  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Jan & Dean Appriciation on: April 10, 2017, 01:45:57 PM
Here's a rare treat...the Australia-only issue of the Deadman's Curve TV movie soundtrack album, originally slated for release on RSO in 1978... Dean Torrence with Papa Doo Run Run.

Listen to these four tracks... some of the finest vocal work Dean's ever done, stacking his own backgrounds and harmonies for these Doo-Wop recreations used in the film:

21:05 - I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
24:24 - GET A JOB
27:19 - TEENAGER IN LOVE
30:05 - ONE SUMMER NIGHT
90  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Jan & Dean Appriciation on: April 10, 2017, 10:08:08 AM
They always had a sense of humor about it.  Their intro to a cover of The Beatles' Michelle on the original comedy version of FILET OF SOUL:

JAN: Last show we pressed erase instead of record...

DEAN: Which is actually better on some of our stuff...
91  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Jan & Dean Appriciation on: April 10, 2017, 07:44:49 AM
<<Dean couldn't sing. >>

I have to respectfully disagree with that statement.  The Jan & Dean catalog is full of excellent Dean Torrence vocals... Baby Talk... Such A Good Night for Dreaming... Linda... Ride the Wild Surf... Yesterday... Hang On Sloopy (live version)... California Lullabye... Louisiana Man... the iconic Like A Summer Rain (with that falsetto tag invoking "A Summer Place"... Yellow Balloon... Vegetables... the entire Save For A Rainy Day project.... and his solo work.

Four stand-out tracks cut in 1977 and featured on the Deadman's Curve soundtrack are as good as anything in the catalog... covers of One Summer Night, Get A Job and, especially, Teenager in Love and I Only Have Eyes for You.  Dean sang the leads and most, if not all of the bg parts.

Regarding Barbara Ann, Dean has a very different, unique falsetto, as unique and instantly identifiable as Brian's, or Frankie Valli's. He himself described it as follows:  "Brian's falsetto was airy, smooth, angelic and round sounding.  Mine was a lot less airy--what they refer to as a head falsetto, less from the diaphragm and more from the sinus, sounding a lot more top end, trebly, and edgier than Brian's.  Together we had the full range of sounds."

There are plenty of examples of flat singing by both of them... the live cover of Lightnin' Strikes on Filet of Sole comes to mind.  But in that case, the track was, specifically, supposed to sound bad.  But the comedy elements in the song were removed for the released version.


92  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Jan & Dean Appriciation on: April 07, 2017, 11:03:12 AM
I think the key ingredient for Jan & Dean is the humor... they didn't take themselves seriously but they took the work seriously. 

Jan himself would have probably become a major producer for other artists in the 70s and 80s and beyond.  Even after the accident his skills as a producer and arranger - and his ear for contemporary sound - never diminished.
93  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Love You Re-Appreciation Thread #3: All Things 'Roller Skating Child' on: April 04, 2017, 01:40:12 PM
I was 17 when this record came out and I can tell you that roller skating was a big deal at the time.  Huge.  Personally, I think this was the album's best shot at a single; it's unfortunate that they didn't push it.

I think the album mix is lacking... what the song is missing is a punchy bass line.  With a slight bit of a remix ala the previous years' Rock & Roll Music single version and some real organic electric bass under the moog line I'm convinced this would have been a strong hit single, perfect for the skating rink and the dance floor.  Friends I played it for at the time loved it (as much as they said 'What the f--k?" to the rest of the album).  To a one, they said it reminded them of I Get Around, which was still in heavy recurrent radio rotation at that time.  It's a really great record... blistering guitar... a real rock & roll anthem.  As for the "infantile" lyrics?  Nobody gave a crap in 1977.  To question in those days whether the Beach Boys should be singing about high school girls would be to question whether they should be doing half their set list on stage.  We considered them "old" or "older" in their early to mid thirties than we were, on the upper edge of cool, if you will, but still relevant.  Like older brothers who were still cool.  The guys who came by the old high school in hot cars years after graduating.  And the fact that they still had an eye for teenage girls was accepted with a wink in those less progressive but more innocent days.  It was, after all, the 70s.  It ain't pretty, but there it is...

To get a sense of what the song would have sounded like with a real (non-moog) bass line, check out this live recording of the song from 1979:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cu0SCxEths

94  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: 'Buddy' Wilbury on: March 31, 2017, 12:00:52 PM
Tom Petty told a great story about the first meeting in LA, when all the assembled Wilburys were making the final decision to proceed with the first album.

George said, "Well, I'm in as long as this is a band with five guys, instead of the rest of us just backing up one guy... BOB?"  And he looks pointedly at Dylan.

Dylan blinks and says, "Oh, yeah, George, sure, a band.  Absolutely."

Later, Petty pulls Harrison aside and says, "Man, I can't believe you did that.  I could never say that to Bob Dylan."

George grinned and said, "I can.  You can't."
95  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dennis Wilson's Bambu is getting a vinyl release for RSD '17. on: March 27, 2017, 02:11:22 PM
<<Are you making a case that the 11 Dean Torrence shots of Dennis LOADED that day trumps the brilliance of what Ed Roach has in his archive from 1975 to 1978?>>

I don't believe I said any such thing, Howie.  Ed's an excellent photographer.  

Dean's a brilliant graphic artist, Grammy-Award Winning album designer and did some breathtaking photography for Dennis' album... amazing shots.  And that one he picked for the cover, with Dennis sitting next to the boom box, is the perfect choice for Bambu. 
96  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dennis Wilson's Bambu is getting a vinyl release for RSD '17. on: March 27, 2017, 08:05:57 AM

<<Why not use a beautiful Ed Roach photo for the package?
Seems to be a no brainer.>>

Because they are using beautiful Dean Torrence photos for the package.  Dean did the album design for this new release, just as he did for Pacific Ocean Blue, back in the day, and I can't wait to see it.
 

 
   
 
97  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Why no new album in 1975? on: March 22, 2017, 10:20:52 AM
<<Are you suggesting that there was no PR for music in the 1970s?>>

I'm not suggesting that at all.  I was responding to a comment that the only reason R&RM was a hit was due to PR and hype.  There was no amount of hype, PR, press releases or promotion that would have made a song a hit if the record didn't resonate with record buyers and radio listeners in those days.  There is no question that the hype helped... but if R&RM hadn't been a great single, it would have died.

98  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Why no new album in 1975? on: March 22, 2017, 08:00:58 AM
<<As noted by HeyJude, it was a hit only because of the relentless hype>>

Hit records didn't happen because of relentless hype in 1976.  Just didn't happen.  Top 40 was audience driven and Rock & Roll Music was a hit because it was a "...great single" as Carl put it and because it sounded like a classic oldie from the band.  In 1976, Beach Boys hits like Fun Fun Fun, Surfin' USA, California Girls and Do It Again were in heavy recurrent rotation on  Top 40 radio .  On WLS Chicago, you heard a hit Beach Boys song with a Mike Love lead every hour. And they were in heavy rotation because they were requested by listeners.  Rock & Roll Music fit right in.  It shot to #5 on the billboard charts and was a radio hit because audiences loved it.  That was the mood in 1976.  It's the same reason The Beatles' Got to Get You Into My Life was a hit the same summer.  Capitol dusted off that ten year old album track and made bank.  60s nostalgia hit its peak in the summer of '76 and Rock & Roll Music was the perfect song at the perfect time. 
99  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Down Argentina Way on: March 20, 2017, 02:45:33 PM
And this one, too... from ELO... Across the Border... 1978

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zuRQc-AE9M
100  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Bruce Johnston records \ on: March 16, 2017, 11:27:55 AM
I just heard this for the first time and really liked it.  Like the other California Music tracks (Why Do Fools, etc.), Here Comes the Night, Pipeline and Bruce's 1977 solo LP, given the state of top 40 and radio airplay in those days... they fit within the context of the times.  These songs were considered oldies, 8 to 10 years old, not the cherished classics they've become.  This is no worse than Johnny Rivers' Help Me Rhonda update, B.J. Thomas Don't Worry Baby redux or The Bay City Rollers cover of Darlin."  And it's a hell of a lot better than Leif Garrett's Surfin' USA cover.
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