These dudes can do wonders with session tapes, as The Pet Sounds box will attest. A Child Is The Father Of The Man, all nicely EQ'd, with some tasteful reverb, from the instrumental and vocal multi-tracks...  you can't say we all want that?

I'll take Brian's 11/66 mix with no added reverb thank you.

Well, at least the material will be mixed properly...which it isn't on any of the SOT discs. I look forward to hearing some of these sessions minus the various coughs, sighs, chit-chat, etc. and with well-balanced instrumentation and vocals.

Owing to some of the recent Mark Linett remixes I don't think there is any guarantee the material will be mixed properly. For example, the "Shut Down" and "Dance Dance Dance" remixes on Sounds of Summer. The "Shut Down" remix is essentially fake stereo. I do like his work on the Pet Sounds Sessions box but many of his subsequent remixes are awful. His use of reverb on the 'Please Make Me Wonder" sounds closer to "Getcha Back" that what was used in the mid 1960's. Modern reverb, phasey/swishy sound, hard and bright EQ, very narrow separation. This is why I hope they use as many vintage remixes as possible for the Smile set..

According to the forum, my full post is too long, scarily! So I'll split it here...

MattB

Absolutely amazing post Matt. I feel like I need a cigarette after reading that.

Why don't you invite him to come to this board and be an honored guest? Think he'd go for it? 

That's a really good idea

I don't think it's a good idea at all. Without doubt the endless pages of nonsense like, for example, the Vegetables lyrics would scare him away. That's why I think a clear, succinct email from one person here would get the best response.

Ok, no foolin'. If VDP is responsive to email then we should 'appoint' someone to send a concise email asking if he wrote verse lyrics to Child in 1966 and if so what the hell happened to them. Last thing we want is 10 different people emailing him the same question so we should get the wording right and get someone that isn't Fishmonk to send it  Seriously, I fear the book might not cover that sort of info so we should ask the source. Can't hurt.

I really, really want to hear Dennis' "I Don't Know"---something Alan Boyd posted was a recent discovery.

I would love to hear the "Etcetera" recording that Paul McCartney recorded in the studio during the "White Album" sessions. He supposedly took the tape from the studio that day and it's never been seen or heard of since.

A copy of "Etcetera" was discovered in the McCartney archive and it is actually a Paul performance of "Thingummybob" but with Paul vocals/lyrics, an "extra bridge" and a "softer into not unlike Here There and Everywhere". I think it sounds rather tantalizing myself. 

It's a backing track only. Syd never wrote the lyric.

I wouldn't assume that just because vocals were not recorded they were not written. It isn't known for certain but owing to his writing style I'd say there is a better than fair chance lyrics were written for In the Beechwoods.

Does anybody know if "In The Beechwoods" exists in the vault? Or is the crappy lo-fi recording from the Nick Mason interview all we'll ever hear?

It is in vault. Reel E68410, 1/2" 4 track. Take 5 is 'best' and is the one heard on the super lo-fi interview tape. The recording quality of the master is said to be amazing. Rick's solo at the end is one of the best things he did IMO.
 

On another note, Barrett was apparently crushed when Vegetable Man got rejected for A Saucerful of Secrets.

I don't mean for this to sound snarky but I'd love to see a cite for that. Syd was well out the picture when the Saucerful album compiled.

[if we knew that existed we probably would've put it out]

The strong implication was that the person you spoke to was more than mildly involved, thus: "I mentioned a couple tasty unbooted Piper outtakes to someone peripherally involved in selecting bonus material on the set and he said something like "if we knew that existed we probably would've put it out". "

I'm not sure where we disagree...the person I spoke with didn't work for the band or label. He did work with a band member on an unrelated project and knowing plans were afoot for a Piper set hipped them to the existence of these two tracks; both of which were in their vault but they were not aware of. If he hadn't done that they would still be in the vault. Since he talked to the powers that be re these two outtakes he told me his impression was that if he knew of the existence of the other two outtakes he thinks they would've made the cut as well.

That would be the same author who described take 1 of "Tomorrow Never Knows" as "a heavy metal recording of immense dimension" (or something similar) when it was nothing of the sort. I was dying inside to hear that and when I finally did... I don't think I've been so let down for years.  Lewishon's credibility with me died that day.

I agree the description of TNK take 1 is well off but all accounts Lewisohn's credibility as a researcher is impeccable. Keep in mind the mix he heard is not the one on Anthology, he was hearing it played back at high volume inside Abbey Road under strict time constraints. You can understand how under these circumstances his description was a little over the top. I don't think there are any other examples where he overstated the performance qualities of (then) unheard material. IIRC Mark has said there was a mad dash to meet the deadline and he didn't have nearly as much time as he wanted to complete the book.

You're saying the people in charge of a major reissue admit they didn't do their job anything like properly ?  Not sure I buy that - you don't have to be a Floyd geek to know about "Vegetable Man" or "Scream". Whatever shortcomings Abbey road may have had, its filing system wasn't one of them.

Two things:

- I was talking about the early mono mix of Bike with the alternate vocals and lyrics. E64571 to be exact. Obviously everyone knows about Vegetable Man and Scream.

- I didn't say "the people in charge" of the reissue. What I said was "someone peripherally involved" re the bonus material.

I don't think they even considered bonus material on the Piper set until right before the release date. The set was simply going to be everything that was released in 1967 (mono/stereo LP, the 45's, French EP IO). At the 11th hour someone that had recently worked a band member mentioned the 'Belloc' Matilda and Interstellar take 6 and they were added at the last minute. Up until a few weeks before it was in the shops every press release for Disc 3 just had the singles + French IO.

Point being they didn't audition the surviving reels because this package wasn't designed to be an outtakes release. The selling point was the mono mix. I can assure you surviving band members are not aware that things like, for example, the John Latham tape are in the vaults. I'm not speculating here.

Timescale wise "Apples and Oranges" is closer to "Piper" than it is "Saucerfull".

Nope. Apples and Oranges was started 3 months *after* Scream thy Last Scream. Three Saucerful songs were in the can before Apples and Oranges was recorded.

I'm still hoping for some kind of Pink Floyd out-take collection, which if Nick Mason is to be believed, might actually happen. And I think those connected with Pink Floyd missed a big opportunity by not including "Vegetable Man", and "Scream Thy Last Scream" on the recent Syd Barrett best of, or the PATGOD reissue from a while back.

I mentioned a couple tasty unbooted Piper outtakes to someone peripherally involved in selecting bonus material on the set and he said something like "if we knew that existed we probably would've put it out". When asked said individual said he hadn't read Random Precision so he wasn't familiar with the inventory of surviving tapes. A shame as that was probably our last chance at hearing this stuff. It isn't like there will be another Piper reissue.

[Anthology 2]

..and George was most vehement about not including it on Anthology 2, which I think is highly instructive.

Is it though? This is the same George that insisted the (sub-3 minute) Shout be edited and that a section of You Know My Name that is *on the released record* be edited out of it on Anthology.

What is frustrating about the Beatles is their vault wasn't nearly as interesting as, let's say, Hendrix or Dylan but Anthology still managed to miss a couple dozen of the most interesting and listenable tracks. A few examples...

The unbooted early mono mix of Got To Get You Into My Life that pre-dates the brass overdubs, has George and John's fuzz guitar (wiped by later overdubs) and Paul's original vocal track. Far more interesting and listenable than 75% of what is on Anthology 2.

The unbooted first electric version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Completely different performance, backwards guitar, organ more to the fore, has lead vocals. The LP was a later re-make and thus totally different performance. More interesting than the alternate Don't Pass Me By for sure.

Early version of Nowhere Man with "elaborate" three-part harmony intro. LP version was a re-make.

Paul's World Without Love demo, mix of Girl with the unused fuzz guitar overdub, the Abbey Rd attempt at Fixing a Hole (LP version was rec at Regent), Fixing a Hole take 1 (considered best, has vocals).

Macca's "Carnival of Light", which I'm most reliably informed is absolute bollocks.

Perhaps a minor point but I'm not sure it's fair to call it "Macca's Carnival of Light". It gets repeated over and over again that Carnival of Light is along the lines of Revolution 9 but this is simply incorrect. Carnival of Light has Ringo on drums, George on electric with John and Paul each on organ and shouting random phrases over the top. Obviously not another Hey Jude but I think it will be an interesting listen. The band thought enough of it to have the recording played in public on two occasions. I'm really keen to hear what George's guitar sounds like on the recording.

Barry Miles head Carnival of Light and said resembles a less rhythmic 'Return of the Son of Monster Magnet' but "more fragmented, abstract and serious." Hmmm...

Anyone else getting tired of coming her for updates only to find endless pages of Fishmonk's trolling? Can you do us a favor and take the attention whore shtick somewhere else?

why is this nobody knows??  Brian knows, van dyke know.  I don't see any reason why he would add lyrics if it was supposed to be an instrumental.  And don't tell me that he wouldn't remember. I doubt he's listened to "summer means new love" lately, but he definitely knows it's an instrumental. 

Well, presumably Brian and Van Dyke didn't remember the '66 CITFOTM verse lyrics. Either that or they didn't like them. IIRC someone here asked VDP if he he wrote lyrics for Child in '66 and he said he did. I would think he was referring to something other than the chorus vocals.

It's likely Look was played in 1972 as well.

What do you mean by this? You mean when they got all the SMiLE tapes out? Just wondering if there was something I missed along the line somewhere!

Sorry about that, the way I wrote it is pretty confusing. I just meant that there is a good chance the tape of the Look instrumental was one of the songs Carl and Desper played in 1972. Just my speculation though, I have nothing to back that up.

My guess is those guys would respond that they were on tour and had no idea what Brian was recording as backing tracks. Upon hearing them, they may respond with something like "Oh yeah, we used that part for 'Good Vibrations' and that part for the ending of 'Wind Chimes'".

We know there was supposedly a vocal session for "Look", right? Was there one for "Holidays"? Could the vocal session have consisted only of wordless backing vocals in the manner of "Fade To Vegetables", etc.?

Certainly possible they won't remember but considering 5 Beach Boys added vocals to Look in October '66 there is a fair chance that between Al, Mike and Bruce one of them will remember something about it. It's likely Look was played in 1972 as well.

It still blows my mind that (apparently) during the bazillion 2004 interviews with Brian and VDP that no one thought to ask such obvious questions such as the '66 Child lyrics, Look vocals, etc. 

I really hope that in preperation for the box someone will have sat Al, Mike and Bruce down and, for example, play Look and Holidays and ask if remember if it had lyrics. I know this sounds trivial but those guys are getting up there and when they pass on that knowledge is gone forever.

I guess you had a very different LSD experience to me, then. I 'tripped' eventually, i guess, and hallucinated a wee bit, but mostly chatted the most obscure nonsense to my friends, saw an admittedly amazing sunrise then fell asleep and had nightmares. And a very slow day afterwards of talking to the cat.

I know they don't make it like they used to, and so on. But I'm pretty much the same guy. But personal experience when it comes to drugs is the most boring topic of conversation I know of, so I'll stop that.

Sounds like you didn't have the good stuff and/or had a very small dose. The one common denominator with the psychedelic experience is that it is incredibly powerful and unique.

Hey Chris!
Fancy seeing you here  .

Hey Dan,

I was just about to PM you. I think I'm a tad embarrased someone I know saw my crazed rants here