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680597 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 04:14:24 PM
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1251  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Sunflower and Surf's Up To Be Reissued on Vinyl! on: March 11, 2009, 11:50:27 PM
This is great news, and I'm looking forward to adding 180 gram vinyl versions to my collection.

I do hope that the following press release description is inaccurate, as it lists Sunflower as being reissued with a single jacket, rather than the original US Brother/Reprise and UK EMI/Stateside gatefold jacket with the great color pics inside of the BBs and BW's house. The 1980's UK CBS/Caribou version of Sunflower was a single jacket, and the visual impact (which is one of the great selling points of LPs) was definitely diminished compared to the original gatefold cover.

JUNE 16, 2009: "FROM THE CAPITOL VAULTS" [artist / title (configuration)]
The Beach Boys / Sunflower (1 LP, single jacket)
The Beach Boys / Surf's Up (1 LP, single jacket, lyrics sheet insert)

Also, as a followup to C-man's comment about the release being on Capital, in addition to his mention that the UK release was on EMI/Stateside, there was a Capitol Record Club version of Sunflower (SKAO 93352) but with the normal Brother/Reprise labeling.  Personally, I think it will be cool to see Sunflower and Surf's Up on vinyl with Capitol labels, preferably the same lime green with new Capitol logo label from the late 60s and early 70s that they used for the CD reissues.


1252  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN 1973 BEACH BOYS CONCERT PICTURES (& new article) on: February 28, 2009, 12:41:32 AM
OK, here are details on running into Marilyn and Dennis after the Nov. 16, 1973 Beach Boys concert at the Anaheim Convention Center.

I attended the concert with my friend Julie, who lived nearby in Huntington Beach. (This was the second of three times I saw the BBs in 1973, the third time being Dec. 31 at the Long Beach Arena.)  I was a college student living in San Diego and also working at Sears.  Since I had to work that day, Julie and I drove separately, meeting at the Anaheim Convention Center.  The Convention Center was packed, probably sold out or close to it.  The Beach Boys, who had been considered has-beens by American audiences just a few years before, were in the midst of a remarkable concert comeback, which would lead, for better or worse, to Capital Record’s release of Endless Summer eight months later.

After the concert I suggested to Julie that we go around to the back to the convention center to find the backstage entrance and see if we could get inside.  Not far from the stage door we saw Marilyn Wilson and her sister Diane, “a boss blonde chick”, Marilyn and Diane’s mother, and Audree Wilson, all getting ready to leave in a Lincoln Continental.

The backstage entrance was surrounded by perhaps a dozen and a half fans, mostly (maybe even entirely) young females, along with a couple of guards, including one at the door advising the fans that they had to wait outside.  I told Julie, “Follow me and act like we belong here.”  We then pushed our way through the fans and as we began to walk through the door I said, “Excuse us” in a very matter-of-fact voice.  The guard nodded and we were inside.  Julie whispered, “How did you do that?” and I told her I really didn’t know, other than I acted as though we were supposed to be there and it probably helped that I was a guy and not a screaming girl.  It’s also important to point out that back stage passes were not in general use at this time, at least with the Beach Boys.

Once inside, we saw Mike, Al, and Dennis.  Then Marilyn Wilson passed by, seemingly in a hurry, and I asked “What’s the status of your new album?”  She immediately stopped and we discussed the follow-up to the Spring album, which had been released a year and a half earlier.  I then asked, “Where’s Brian?”  Since Brian and Marilyn had attended both of the previous LA area concerts I had been to, in Dec. 71 and April 73, as well as San Diego in July 68, I assumed Brain would have been at this concert as well.  I was dumbfounded when Marilyn replied, “Oh, he stayed home tonight.”  It seemed incredible to me that Brian Wilson would pass up a chance to see his group in concert when they were not far from his home.  I had read the various stories over the years about Brian’s “nervous breakdown” in late 64, his junking the Smile album in 67, his reservations about releasing and refusal to re-sing Surf’s Up in 71, etc, etc, but back in late 1973 I truly had no idea how serious his problems were.  I had been among a small group of fans conversing with him and Marilyn just seven months earlier after the Hollywood Palladium concert and he had seemed completely normal to me.  Brian was a musical genius, so to my way of thinking his odd behavior simply went with the territory.  Plus, Carl would often dismiss Brian’s unusual behavior as “another Brian put-on”. 

I replied, “At home?  Why did he stay home?”  Marilyn put a very positive spin on it, stating rather enthusiastically that he was working on new material with Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night.  That seemed to make sense to me – apparently writing new material was more important to Brian than seeing The Beach Boys in concert.  It would be a few years before I knew the real story that we all know now – Brian had retreated from life and was suffering from drug abuse and mental illness, spending much his time lying in bed, and the incredible music I assumed he had been creating during this time had never existed. As C-man pointed out in an earlier post, it seems likely that Brian went rapidly down-hill after Murry had passed away five months earlier.  Seven months earlier Brian had been at the Hollywood Palladium concert, which his parents also attended, but now, with Murry gone, Brian apparently couldn’t find the will to get out of bed and attend a Los Angeles area Beach Boys concert.

Marilyn also told us that the Beach Boys were now one of the nation’s biggest concert attractions, then said she had to leave because someone had let the air out of both of the rear tires on her mother’s car.

Julie and I spent a little more time in the back stage area, and when we returned outside we encountered a group of people, including Dennis Wilson, around the Lincoln Continental, with Mae Rovell, Audree Wilson, Marilyn Wilson, Diane Rovell, and the blonde sitting inside.  Dennis was replacing one of the tires with the spare from the trunk, and some concert goers in a Mustang had just driven up, offering their spare to Dennis.  But, as Dennis attempted to put the Mustang’s spare on the Lincoln, it was discovered that the Mustang’s wheel was too small and would not fit the Lincoln’s lug nuts.  At this point, Julie offered, “I’ve got a can of Fix-a-Flat you can use.”  Dennis said, “Great!” and we jumped in my Mustang and drove over to Julie’s VW Super Beetle to grab the Fix-a-Flat. We returned to find that some other fans had brought over their larger car, but its spare did not fit the Lincoln either.  Dennis then installed Julie’s Fix-a-Flat in one of the flat tires and put it back on the car.  Audree Wilson thanked everyone for their help, and the Lincoln was on its way.

After that, a few female fans who had been hanging around asked Dennis for his autograph, as did Julie.  (Julie seemed surprised that I was not interested in Dennis’ autograph, but at the time it seemed to me that getting Dennis Wilson’s autograph on a piece of paper, as opposed to an album cover, for example, was something only females should be interested in.)

Dennis then said, “Thank you, thank you so much” to Julie and me.  Prior to shaking my hand he began to shake Julie’s, but the next thing I knew they were in an embrace and exchanged a kiss.  I told Dennis it was a great concert but that I didn’t think Mike should close the show with Jumpin’ Jack Flash, as it wasn’t a Beach Boys song.  I later felt like an idiot when I realized that I had failed to tell him that Forever was (and still is) my very favorite Beach Boys song.  (I did tell that to Mike around a year later, and asked him to tell Dennis that he should be singing it in concert.  At the time I had no idea that there were any issues between the two of them.)

As Dennis prepared to leave he suddenly pulled his jacket back, wiggled his hips back and forth, and exclaimed with a huge smile, “Have a good sex life!”  We laughed, and he walked off with a girl (or perhaps I should be saying a woman) and another guy who was with a female.  I recall thinking that had any other member of the band encountered the car with two flat tires they probably would have gone inside and called a tow truck to come and fix the tires, but not Dennis, who was determined to take care of the problem himself.

In order to provide as accurate a recollection as possible, prior to writing this I checked out a letter I had written to my friend Ralph a couple of weeks after the concert.  The majority of the details in the letter were the same as I had recalled them, but there were some interesting differences, compared to how I had recalled things and had told them to others in recent years.  For example, I had recalled that the owner and driver of the Lincoln Continental was Audree Wilson, but in the letter I stated that the car belonged to Marilyn and Diane’s mother.  (Maybe it was Mae Rovell’s car but Audree was driving.)  And, I (surprisingly) had completely forgotten about “a boss blonde chick” (to quote the letter exactly) in the car with them.  Does anyone have an idea as to who this might have been?  And who were the three people Dennis walked off with?  Any ideas?  Could Ed Roach or Stanley Shapiro have been the guy?

Thinking she might be able to provide additional details, I emailed Julie asking for her specific recollections (without mentioning any of mine).  Her response is indicative of the effect Dennis had on women, as well as the fact that this all happened close to three dozen years ago: “My memories of “our concert” (as with everything else) are a little sparse.  You are a MUCH BETTER “historian” than I am.  I remember going back stage and acting “like we belonged” and then going to the back parking lot, seeing the car with the flat, and asking if they wanted to use my "Fix-A-Flat."  Then, of course, came THE kiss and everything else is a blur.  Smiley

Interestingly, I met Jon Stebbins in the lobby of the Roxy theater when Brian was performing on April 8, 2000, and Jon was giving out flyers promoting his forthcoming biography of Dennis.  I told this story to Jon, but when I was done he and another guy standing next to him looked skeptically at me, and one of them (don’t recall which one) said, “They didn’t have Fix-a-Flat back then!”  I assured him that they did, and that I recalled first buying it sometime in the late sixties or early seventies.

1253  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN 1973 BEACH BOYS CONCERT PICTURES (& new article) on: February 16, 2009, 04:39:10 PM
Thanks Custom Machine for the reply. I saw a picture from early 73 from the Iowa sessions and Brian looked a touch heavier then normal but still more like the old Brian-same thing with the Holland pics. So since this was April that makes sense. It was such a big and swift change that it's always good to know the info. How lucky you were to see the last two concerts Brian was at before the big decline.

Brian most likely was somewhat heavier in April 73 than in Dec 71, but it wasn't anything were I remember taking note of it and thinking that he had definitely put on a significant amount of weight.

The next time I saw the Beach Boys was Nov 16, 1973 at the Anaheim Convention Center with my friend Julie.  I ran into Marilyn (with her sister Diane) backstage and was surprised that Brian was not with them, since he'd been at the July 1968 concert in San Diego as well as Dec 71 in Long Beach and April 73 in Hollywood (all as a member of the audience, although he did make brief on-stage appearances in 71 and 73).

If anyone is interested in details of Marilyn's response when I asked "Where's Brian?" as well as Dennis' classic remark after Julie and I helped him fix a flat tire on his Mom's Lincoln Continental after the concert, let me know and I'll post details.
1254  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN 1973 BEACH BOYS CONCERT PICTURES (& new article) on: February 16, 2009, 04:16:54 PM
My friend Ralph tells me that the shirtless guy whose clapping hands are obscuring Brian's face in the last photo I took is Gerry Beckley from the group America.  Ralph says he did not realize who it was when the guy was on stage, but says he recalls being told after the concert that the shirtless guy dancing around on stage during the encore was Gerry Beckley. 

I had not viewed the slides for years before scanning them and sending them to Malc, and had initially recalled that it was a shirtless Dennis whose clapping hands obscured Brian's face, but Dennis is clearly seen in elsewhere in the photo.  Malc and I then presumed the shirtless guy was a fan who had jumped up on stage, but now I'm inclined to think Ralph is correct, since the reviews did say that the band was joined on stage by Gerry Beckley from America during the encore, and I truly do not have any recollection of a fan jumping up on stage.
1255  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN 1973 BEACH BOYS CONCERT PICTURES (& new article) on: February 14, 2009, 03:44:38 PM
With his hair, weight and beard did he look more like the Brian on Holland or the Brian on 15 Big Ones?

My recollection of Brian Wilson the night of April 20, 1973 is that he was beardless and looked basically the same as he had in the Sunflower, Surf’s Up, and Holland era photos. 

I had last seen Brian at the Dec. 3, 1971 Long Beach Arena concert, first on stage and then during the encore when he and wife Marilyn left the concert walking between the front row and the stage, passing right in front of me and other concert goers.  (No, I didn’t have front row seats, but during the encore a number of audience members, including myself, made our way down the aisle and up to the front.)  Interestingly, I recall Brian wearing a long black coat both in 71 at Long Beach and 73 at the Hollywood Palladium, and, as another Smiley Smile poster pointed out, it appears that that coat may very well be the exact same one he wore for the Pet Sounds cover.

In the interest of providing as accurate an answer as possible, I also emailed by friend Ralph, with whom I attended both the 71 and 73 concerts, and asked for his recollections of Brain’s appearance, without mentioning my recollections, so as to avoid predisposing him to a given answer.  He said, “My recollection is that Brian essentially looked the same in April 73 as he did in December 1971, no beard and not very overweight.  He looked pretty much like photos on the Sunflower and Holland albums.  I believe the first time I was aware of his blimping out and full beard was when I saw the cover of 15 Big Ones.  He was really immense on the BB Special when the CHP cites him for failing to surf.”

1256  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN 1973 BEACH BOYS CONCERT PICTURES (& new article) on: January 16, 2009, 12:30:27 AM
So great ! That site is one of the best, if not the best BBs-site out there imo.

Is that the same coat Brian wore on the Pet Sounds-cover?

Rocker - you have made a very astute observation concerning Brian's coat!  I'm the guy who took the April 20, 1973 Hollywood Palladium photos on Malc's site, and I got a chance to see the coat up close when talking to Brian and Marilyn after the concert.  I had never made the connection before, but I think there is a very good chance that the coat he wore the night of the Hollywood Palladium concert is the exact same one he wore seven years earlier at the San Diego Zoo photo shoot for the cover of Pet Sounds.
1257  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's whereabouts during the 1973 In Concert show on: January 15, 2009, 11:01:29 PM
Imagine the mass exodus to the concession stands and restrooms ...  LOL

Even in 1971, audiences weren't that patient.


Having been at that 12-3-71 concert (in fact, unless there is more than one version of the concert audio floating around, I was the one who made that muddy overmodulated cassette recording) I can attest to the fact that there was no exodus to the concession stands and restrooms.  Brain Wilson was on stage playing the organ while Jack was singing "Tree", and the audience definitely seemed to be into the experience.

1258  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: New Brian Wilson Christmas song on: December 17, 2008, 08:27:01 PM
I think BW's version of The Christmas Song sounds fabulous.  Great instrumental intro, patterned after Wouldn't It Be Nice.  Yeah, the percussion, done by Brian, combined with Darian's vibraphone, gives the song a 'swimmy-watery' sound, but I like the effect.  

I have a HUGE preference for Brian's mellow style lead vocal on this track, as opposed to his shouting style lead found on much of his recent work, including most all of the "All I Really Want for Christmas" album.  Plus, the double tracking helps to soften BW's lead vocal.  I especially like the background vocals, all of which are done by Brian.  

I've had this song streaming continually from BW's website for the past hour, and I'm totally enjoying it.
1259  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mojo names POB reissue of the year on: November 27, 2008, 09:39:23 PM
POB is also one of 5 albums nominated for Reissue of the Year in the Playboy 2008 Music Poll.

The 5 nominees are: The Niney Years, Dennis Brown; Tell Tale Signs, Bob Dylan; Polk Miller and His Old South Quartette; Pussycat, John Phillips; Pacific Ocean Blue, Dennis Wilson.

You can vote for POB at http://www.playboy.com/magazine/features/music-poll-2008/index.html






1260  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Best Summation of SMILE. on: November 14, 2008, 12:34:03 AM
For those who are into meanings of SMiLE era songs, please help me out on this one.

"Well, you're welcome to come"..... Where? Anywhere? How about "You're welcome to come...on the SMiLE trip." Yes? No? Was it just a throwaway B-side?

Maybe I'm way off base here, but I always considered it a sexual invitation.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought of that...I don't think that's the case, but it has crossed my (apparently dirty) mind.

OK, now I'm re-sequencing Side B of Smiley Smile into Sexy Smile:

1. Gettin' Hungry
2. Good Vibrators
3. Well, You're Welcome To Come
4. She's Going Bald
5. Wind Chimes
6. Whistle In
 3D 

Wow! Your post now adds a new dimension to the meaning of the title She's Going Bald - The Beach Boys were so far ahead of their time that this 1967 title was an ode to what was to become modern female grooming in the 2000's.  She's Going Bald song credits go to Brian, Mike, and VDP, but I think it's fair to blame this connotation on Mike, with publicity for the title in the 2000's provided by a few well known "overexposed" female celebrities.

1261  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Best Summation of SMILE. on: November 12, 2008, 03:49:36 PM
For those who are into meanings of SMiLE era songs, please help me out on this one.

"Well, you're welcome to come"..... Where? Anywhere? How about "You're welcome to come...on the SMiLE trip." Yes? No? Was it just a throwaway B-side?

Maybe I'm way off base here, but I always considered it a sexual invitation.
1262  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Steve Hoffman to remaster \ on: November 05, 2008, 12:59:26 PM
"Maybe this has already been covered, but is there any way to tell if a 1966 pressing of "Pet Sounds" was made from the L.A. or the N.Y. master?  For instance, by looking at the number stamped in the runout grooves?"

There is a way to tell the difference between an East Coast pressing and a West coast pressing.  HOWEVER, keep in mind, that if you carefully read Steve Hoffman's post you copied, you'll find that BOTH sets of parts were made off of the LA master, and then sent to each pressing plant.  The NY copy was simply used for safety, and put away for posterity.  It is basically what happened at the pressing plants that made the difference in sonic quality between the two pressings.  West Coast pressings have an asterisk etched in the trail-off.  East Coast pressings have the letters "IAM" in a triangle stamped in the trailoff.  West Coast pressings generally sound better than East Coast pressings, but they are made from the same master.

Interesting info, Shane.  Do you know if  the vinyl pressing parts for both the LA and Scranton, PA pressing plants were always made in LA?  Were tapes ever shipped to the Scranton, PA plant and then the vinyl pressing parts made there?  If so, did they always use the LA tape, or was the New York safety copy ever used?  Did Capitol ever enlist other (non-EMI owned) pressing plants, if needed, if their own plants were running at capacity?

And, most importantly, can you explain what factors cause west coast pressings to "generally sound better than east coast pressings," especially if they were made from basically similar parts?  Did the west coast plant use cleaner vinyl?  Were the east coast presses older and thus somehow generally made inferior records?
1263  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Steve Hoffman to remaster \ on: November 02, 2008, 11:16:49 AM
  And the master tape is now gone, so there won't be another mastering of the tape.

What happened to the Pet Sounds master tape?

No one knows.  Here's a brief history of the Pet Sounds master tape:

Brian and Chuck assemble the master tape April 1966. Brian sends the master to Capitol's LA office. There a copy is made and sent to New York for use in East Coast vinyl pressings. The Brian LA master is used for West Coast vinyl pressings. When the rights to Pet Sounds and the post PS albums goes to Reprise, the LA master goes to Reprise where it is used for the So Tough/Pet Sounds 2fer (Mark Linett believes a copy was sent to Reprise, but Steve Hoffman has said the original master was at Reprise).  According to Steve, at Reprise Wouldn't It Be Nice suffers tape damage making it unusable - WIBN on the Reprise albums may be from the LA tape, and the damage occurred subsequent or concurrent with mastering the LP, or it's possible that Reprise damaged it before it could transfer the track and they had to use the NY tape as a source. When rights revert back to Capitol, the tape returns to Capitol, and WIBN is replaced by a copy of the New York tape WIBN (an aside – perhaps this WIBN IS the New York tape version, and a copy was substituted into the NY tape master?)

The LA master is used when Mark Linett makes the digital master in 1987 for the first Capitol CD release, except for WIBN. The 1990 release (as usual in Beach Boys world, a long delay) used No Noise heavily, re-EQ'd the master and in order to keep hiss down spliced in many of the intros from new mono mix downs of the multitracks.

The DCC release of PS used the same LA master in 1991 (“they lent it to us for about two hours, we made one digital and one analogue transfer and the tape was messenger-ed back to Capitol”), but used no noise reduction, and according to Steve Hoffman was a “flat” transfer with heavy bass intact. Steve: “I decided to do a flat transfer of Pet Sounds; disconnecting all of the mastering equipment, including the console. It would be the only flat mastering of the mono mix in recorded history. (Every other version of that darn album be it LP, domestic and foreign, 45, Juke Box, EP, Cassette, 8-Track, Open Reel, Compact Disc, Hi-Rez, stereo remix, mono remaster, WHATEVER, has been tweaked in some way or another). Really, on a great system, the original "fairy dust" mono mix doesn't need tweaking at all. It needs leaving alone. It is a little bass heavy, but so be it.”   Steve used “an ATR-100 electronic assembly modified with one Telefunken 12AX7 with a Studer A-80 transport.”

For the DCC the NY tape was used for WIBN (a new transfer) and the train & dogs bit.  Apparently the train and dogs ending was damaged or in some other way not as suitable as the NY tape version.  No splicing in from the multitracks. At the time a 30 ips flat transfer analogue copy of the reels was made and that was used to cut the DCC LP that came out a few years later. The DCC CD was released in 1993.

The master tape goes missing from the Capitol vault around 1992.

The 1993 Good Vibrations box set used the NY tape, without any noise reduction according to Mark Linett, in a 20 bit transfer.    Some intros mixed from the multitracks are spliced in.

Cut to the remaster for the Pet Sounds Sessions box set in Nov 1997 (done in Jan-Feb 1996 but release delayed by Mr. Love). Again, the NY tape, and possibly with some intros still spliced in although more hiss is evident on several of the intros (a good thing).  No noise reduction per Mark.  An ATR-100 was used and tube electronics. This was a 24 bit HDCD master. This was the master used for the subsequent stereo/mono combined releases. The first mono/stereo version used the same 24 bit HDCD master but according to Mark it was re-equalised (by Andrew Sandoval), thereby ruining the HDCD encoding, even though the disc would still trigger HDCD players.  This version was pulled at the request of Mark Linett and Brian & Melinda, and the 2001 version, with proper HDCD encoding was issued. This version replaced Brian on the bridge of the stereo WIBN with a flown in mock stereo version of the mono Mike Love sung bridge, done largely (according to Mark) because radio stations had been using the stereo version from the boxset with Brian in the bridge (I can only imagine how Mike Love reacted to that!).

For the DVD Pet Sounds, Mark went back to the mono NY tape and remastered it in 96K/24 bit.

For the 40th anniversary release, Mark used a 16 bit digital copy of the master tape made in 1987 in preparation for the first Pet Sounds CD.  I think this may be the worst sounding version of the mono Pet Sounds, whether it be the 1987 digital technology, the state of the digital tape, or the mastering of this version.  I much prefer the P S box set NY tape version, and, of course, the DCC.

Most audiophiles believe that the Carl and the Passions/Pet Sounds 2fer is the best sounding mono vinyl representation of the album - the original Capitol pressings were noisy and poorly EQ'd.  And the DCC vinyl, which I haven't heard.


Bicyclerider - Wow!  Thanks for the very interesting and detailed info!
1264  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Steve Hoffman to remaster \ on: November 02, 2008, 11:15:09 AM
I'm confused with the logic here!   As far as I am concerned, the original Capitol vinyl release is how Pet Sounds was meant to be heard.  Period.  Any difference in mastering or changing of the format is messing with history.  So if you're gonna do that, then you might as well go full bore and have it in stereo.  I have no problem with keeping with the times. 

Concerning the Capitol Pet Sounds vinyl release being how the recording was meant to be heard, it's important to remember that Brian and Chuck Britz had no control over the vinyl mastering EQ decisions made by the Capitol engineers.  And, if you have ever heard vinyl pressings of the same record done at different pressing plants, you will discover that the EQ and mastering volume level applied by the engineers can sometimes differ from pressing plant to pressing plant, not to mention that fact the different pressing plants didn't always receive the same generational copy of a master tape.

And, back in 1966, while some copies of Pet Sounds were sold in mono, most were sold in Duophonic, Capitol's version of fake stereo.  In 1966, mono albums were quickly fading in popularity, and were basically gone from the market within two years.  (For those of you not around in 1966, most albums were released in both mono and stereo, with the stereo version commanding up to a dollar price premium, but with stereo significantly outselling mono.  45 rpm singles, on the other hand, were almost always only pressed in mono at that time.)

My original 1966 vinyl copy of Pet Sounds was pressed in Duophonic, whereby Capitol engineers mucked with the EQ and phase of the original mono recording to simulate stereo.  To quote the album's back cover:  "This Capitol Duophonic Record is deigned for stereo phonographs.  Duophonic is an exclusive electronic development designed to enrich irreplaceable monophonic high-fidelity recordings that have proven their lasting popularity.  It brings these classic performances a brilliant new two channel sound that takes full advantage of the reproduction characteristics of today's finest stereo phonographs."

Duophonic definitely added a sense of space and broader soundstage to mono recordings, and in some cases it could be argued that the listening experience was somewhat enhanced because of that.  But, the altered phasing created a sonic experience very different from the original mono master.  The Duophonic process also altered the EQ, with one channel carrying mostly the midrange and treble sounds, and the other carrying mostly the bass and very high treble sounds.  This does give a pseudo-stereo effect, but unless the listener is carefully centered between the two speakers, the resulting sound will be tilted toward the EQ of the speaker the listener is closest to.  (The worst  electronically simulated stereo was done by RCA's engineers, with tons of artificial reverb.) 

I personally didn't get the opportunity to hear Pet Sounds in true mono until 6 years after its release, when it appeared on the CATPST/PS Brother/Reprise vinyl two-fer, with the statement on the album, "This recording is pressed in monophonic sound, the way Brian cut it."  (However, I did have 7 of Pet Sound's 13 tracks on mono 45 rpm singles when CATPST/PS two-fer was released.)

But, to my ears anyway, much of Pet Sounds suffers by far from the worst recorded sound quality of all The Beach Boys albums, even worse than Wild Honey.  (Please note I'm talking about the sound quality of the much of the recording, not the quality of the recorded material!)  Overall, the album sounds very tinny to me, with way too much emphasis in the 2 to 4 KHz range (upper midrange and lower treble).  The modern day stereo remix has made significant improvements in this regard, but I've always been curious why much of Pet Sounds has what I consider to be a very irritating EQ - one found on no other Beach Boys recording.
1265  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Steve Hoffman to remaster \ on: October 31, 2008, 03:48:14 PM
You gotta excuse me for going on somewhat of a rant, but I'm a little tired of reading over and over that the DCC edition of Pet Sounds is the ultimate version.  No it's not!  It's not in stereo!  And if mono is your preference, then what is wrong with Brian's original mastering?

Arg!

First of all IT IS the ultimate CD version. The mastering is the best of all the mono CDversions.
Secondly, it is the ultimate CD version because it is in its' original 1966 mono mix. The stereo version is not how the album was meant to be heard.
Finally, Brian Wilson never actually mastered any of his albums, I think you'll find no music artist masters their own music.


+1  The DCC is the ultimate vinyl release too.

Honestly, if you're not hearing that, I strongly suspect it's because your system isn't good enough.  I have an awful old Technics direct drive turntable and the DCC sounds dark and muddy on it while the CATP version sounds fine.  But what happens when I play them on my nice VPI?  The DCC comes alive and is far and away the better sounding record.  I hate to play that card, but it is the truth.   

Are you using the exact same cartridge in both turntables?  In my experience, the cartridge used can make a very significantly larger difference in playback sound than the turntable.
1266  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Steve Hoffman to remaster \ on: October 31, 2008, 03:44:23 PM
  And the master tape is now gone, so there won't be another mastering of the tape.

What happened to the Pet Sounds master tape?
1267  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Recent setlist/s of theMike/Bruce touring group on: October 18, 2008, 10:24:38 AM
Quote
Quote from: Custom Machine on Today at 12:03:40 AM
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The problem is that it's a casino show.  It's not practical to do "rarities" at that kind of show...I think I can promise you Betsy but beyond that I don't know.  I think you will still have a good time anyway!

Scott - I'm really enjoying your posts.  I generally see you guys at least once a year, most often at Humphrey's in San Diego.  Having heard lots of same songs year after year, I appreciate a fresh setlist that includes as many "rarities" as possible.

Here are a few questions I have:

(1)  What is it that makes a casino show less ideal for rarities?  Am I correct in assuming it may be the overall clientele?  But, having seen Brian Wilson at a casino concert, I can attest to the fact that there were many hardcore fans in attendance there.  What types of venues are more conducive to rarities, and which are less so?  How does Humphrey's in San Diego compare in this regard?

(2)  I have noticed a huge difference in concert length depending on the venue.  What factors account for this difference?

(3)  The BB's setlist has definitely improved with the addition of lesser known songs. Are you the main person responsible for the overall setlist and the addition of "rarities"?


Great post and thanks for the questions...I hope I can answer them for you all.

1) A casino show has 3 types of people in the audience.  Some go to the casino to see the Beach Boys, and they stay and gamble - or some are going to gamble, and they decide to see the Beach Boys.  Or, the casino gives BB show tickets to it's VIP players.  So not many of the attendees have even heard of a song like Betsy or even Good Timin.  To further complicate matters, the casinos nearly always ask for a short show...generally 75-90 minutes.  They don't like it if we go longer, because their goal is to get the audience back to the casino to gamble.  Now if we only get to play 75 minutes, we HAVE to play as many hits as we can squeeze into that time.  To put in a rarity would mean dropping something like Rhonda.  One of the greatest regrets of mine is that we had to drop Sloop john B in Brighton last April because we ran into a curfew.

I think the people who go to see a Brian Wilson concert are by definition, hardcore.  Believe it or not, many people who are familiar with and like the Beach Boys can't name a single member of the band!  But the people who go to see Brian know who they are going to see.  Having said that, you may have noticed that Brian is playing fewer and fewer rarities these days as well.  Bottom line is, it's not what the majority of audience members want or expect to hear.  Now my philosophy is to give them several well-known hits and then put in a lesser-known one, and tell them what album it's on, etc.  

2) The overriding factor that determines show length is what the promoter, or venue, wants.  90% of the time it's a 90 minute show.  I can tell you that we always go a little bit over what they request, not out of obstinacy but Mike hates to leave anything out.  I swear if he had his way we would do 2.5 hour shows almost all the time.

Having said that, the type of show is also a factor.  I already outlined the casino shows.  Another type of show is the county or state fair.  Again, don't expect any rarities at this type of event.  People come for the fair, and stay for the show.   Theatres, or Performing Arts Centers, are the best bet for a long show with lots of chestnuts.  The sound is good, the people have seats for the slow songs, they're not as distracted by the beer and pretzel stands, etc.   And the only reason they are there is to see the Beach Boys.

I'm gonna speak out of school here for a minute and tell you guys that Mike goes out of his way to do as long a show as possible.  For instance, many times a theatre will want to have an opening act in order to increase their concessions sales.  But if the opener goes on at 8, and we go on at 8:45, and the theatre closes at 10:00, then we are shortening our show to fit it in.  Mike actually suggests to the venue, we'd rather skip the opening act and give them an intermission for concessions.  That way we get to do 90-100 minutes and everyone is happy.  He wants to give the fans a full show.

3) One hundred percent of the credit for song selection goes to Mike.  I think that may come as a shock to some of you.  I'm sure he and Bruce put their heads together, but Mike is the one who comes to me (or Farmer before me) and says "maybe we can do All This Is That" or whatever.  And we learn them and try them out.  Sometimes, the audience just doesn't respond (Feel Flows comes to mind).  Some we worked up and never got to perform live (I'm gonna keep those to myself in case we do get a chance to do them live).  But the bottom line is, Mike is justly proud of the Beach Boys catalog and he is a big fan of the whole of it.  I know some of you think Mike's motto is Don't F With The Formula but believe me NOTHING could be further from the truth.  I was standing on the side of the stage a few years ago, waiting to go on, and I hear Mike singing 'Wonderful".  I said something like "what a great song" and he went on and on about how beautiful the melody is and he actually got a bit choked up.

Scott

Wow, great post, Scott.  Thanks so much for the detailed info.  You answered questions I had wondered about for ages.  I hope you guys keep the lesser known stuff coming.  For those of you who have never seen Mike and Bruce's current version of The Beach Boys, all I can say is that I have always thoroughly enjoyed their shows.  Scott, do you know if David Marks will ever be touring with you in the southern California area?  Over the years I've met Brian, Dennis, Carl, Mike, Al, and Bruce, but I've never even seen David in concert.  I see he did some British shows with you, so I'm wondering if he does others as well.
1268  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Recent setlist/s of theMike/Bruce touring group on: October 17, 2008, 10:03:40 PM
Quote
The problem is that it's a casino show.  It's not practical to do "rarities" at that kind of show...I think I can promise you Betsy but beyond that I don't know.  I think you will still have a good time anyway!

Scott - I'm really enjoying your posts.  I generally see you guys at least once a year, most often at Humphrey's in San Diego.  Having heard lots of same songs year after year, I appreciate a fresh setlist that includes as many "rarities" as possible.

Here are a few questions I have:

(1)  What is it that makes a casino show less ideal for rarities?  Am I correct in assuming it may be the overall clientele?  But, having seen Brian Wilson at a casino concert, I can attest to the fact that there were many hardcore fans in attendance there.  What types of venues are more conducive to rarities, and which are less so?  How does Humphrey's in San Diego compare in this regard?

(2)  I have noticed a huge difference in concert length depending on the venue.  What factors account for this difference?

(3)  The BB's setlist has definitely improved with the addition of lesser known songs. Are you the main person responsible for the overall setlist and the addition of "rarities"?


1269  Smiley Smile Stuff / Ask The Honored Guests / Re: The Stephen Desper Thread on: August 11, 2008, 10:02:18 PM
Stephen –

I have a question concerning promo copy mixes that you did for The Beach Boys. 

A number of years ago I picked up a 45 RPM promotional copy of Add Some Music to Your Day b/w Susie Cincinnati and was quite surprised to find that both songs were mixed significantly differently than they were on the stock 45 rpm single, and in the case of Add Some Music, on the Sunflower album.

The stock copy 45 rpm single and album versions were in stereo, whereas the promo 45 was in mono, but a mono fold down of the stereo versions still sounds nothing like the promo versions.  For Add Some Music, the most prominent differences are that the promo version has significantly less bass, significantly boosted midrange emphasizing the vocals, and the guitar is mixed significantly louder.  Susie Cincinnati’s promo version also has significantly less bass, somewhat boosted midrange, and contains engine sound fx not found on the original 1970 45 rpm stock copy. 

As far as listening experience is concerned, the promo copies sound way too bass shy and midrange boosted to me, and I find the stock copies much more enjoyable to listen to.

So, my question is, were the promo mixes done differently for AM radio?  AM was definitely the more dominant popular and rock music format at the time, but since AM tends to sound tinny with accentuated midrange anyway, it doesn’t seem that there would be any advantage to boosting the mids on the promo copies.

Did you mix other Beach Boys promo singles differently than the stock copies?  I don’t have many promo copies, especially of the Beach Boys, but this is the only one I’ve come across where the promo is significantly different than the stock copy. 

Not too long after this Feb 1970 release, with the rise in the popularity of FM radio, I recall that most promo 45s contained just one song, in mono on one side, and stereo the other; for example that was the case with Cool Cool Water.   And, interestingly, in the summer of 1973, the single mono mix of Susie Cincinnati was released on the Warner Brothers loss leader Appetizers, with the same mix found on the promo single, but without the rolled off bass and somewhat boosted midrange.

Have any members of this board noticed different mixes, compared to the stock 45 rpm single, on other Beach Boys promo 45s?

Thanks for any info you can provide, Stephen.  I’m really looking forward to your forthcoming book.
1270  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl video on Amazon on: August 08, 2008, 05:52:44 PM
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Quote from: Custom Machine on August 07, 2008, 04:03:21 PM
Just went back and did a comparison of the demo version and the Amazon venison of Forever My Surfer Girl,

Venison? It's very deer to me. 

Yes, it took me quite a while to hunt down the Amazon venison.  A friend of mine on dial-up advised me that when he listens he gets Amazon venison jerky.   Smiley
1271  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl video on Amazon on: August 07, 2008, 02:03:21 PM
Hmmm .... experts say that auditory memory can be fleeting, and it appears they are correct!  Just went back and did a comparison of the demo version and the Amazon venison of Forever My Surfer Girl, and contrary to my comments above, they sounded virtually identical.

Guess I was thrown off by the Amazon visuals of BWs band singing harmonies, causing me to think they were mixed louder and Brian was mixed softer in the Amazon version. 

Still, the great majority of BW's current (by current, I actually mean the past 30 + years!) vocals are mixed too loud and sound too strident to me.   I'd really like to hear more harmonizing along with his leads, including a prominent harmonizing double voice in many cases.   In Forever My Surfer Girl, the fact that BW's voice is so often mixed with the harmonies of his band, as well as the fact that it seems electronically full (from a reverb and eq standpoint) and most likely pitch corrected in places, makes the song very listenable to me.

Also, I'd love to have a single version of Forever My Surfer Girl, with a longer ending added to the song, so that as it fades out it sounds self contained, rather than like it is fading into the Venice Beach Narrative.
1272  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl video on Amazon on: August 07, 2008, 12:50:07 AM
Wow!  This is a fabulous recording.  I really like the demo version of this song, but this version is significantly better.  Great blending of BWs vocals with the other band members.  Sure, the singing (or lip-syncing) on the video clip often fails to match the song, but who cares?  For many, many years now, BW's leads have often way too grating to my ear, and I've always wondered why they don't blend the rest of the band more into his vocals.  They've done it big time here, and the result is a much more enjoyable listening experience, in my opinion.  Hope the vocal blends (and probably pitch corrections too) on the rest of the album have been done this well.
1273  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Lowest point in the BB career? on: July 19, 2008, 04:05:25 PM
If there was 'Beach Boys 80/ 90s' album put out today I wonder if it would appeal to the same surf/ car singles clientele of the early 60s.

LOWEST ALBUM?

KOKOMO
GOIN ON
GETCHA BACK
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN
STILL CRUSIN
WIPE OUT
PROBLEM CHILD
HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME
UNDER THE BOARDWALK
FOREVER (STAMOS)

In the mixed up world of the music biz...it might just have legs! LOL

I'd definitely enjoy the above album mix.  Getcha Back is one of my all-time favorite BB songs.  I love to listen to Still Crusin, the Stamos vers of Forever, etc.  In fact, with the exception of the embarrassingly dippy Problem Child and to a lesser degree Wipe Out, I like all of the songs here.   And, I do fall into the category of "the surf/ car singles clientele of the early 60s" having first heard Surfin on the radio when I was in Junior High School.
1274  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's New Album Cover on: July 19, 2008, 03:46:05 PM
Because of its strong sense of symmetry, the TLOS cover reminds me of Dean Torrence's graphic design work, especially on the cover of Love You.

As far as past BW solo covers are concerned, PS Live and Live at the Roxy seem like especially weak and blah designs to me, while BW 88 is my favorite.
1275  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: POB Bambu on Vinyl! on: June 26, 2008, 02:42:54 PM
My vinyl copy of POB arrived from Sundazed today.  A great looking package!  Unfortunately, Disc one is warped to the extent that it won't play.  I called Sundazed and they said that the entire first run of POB on vinyl is sold out, so they are doing a second run.  I'm sure Amazon and others will have it back in stock when it becomes available again.
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