| 680598 Posts in
27600 Topics by 4068
Members
- Latest Member: Dae Lims
| March 28, 2024, 07:12:03 PM |
| |
6052
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Making a Smile mix.
|
on: February 14, 2009, 11:39:18 AM
|
In my mind, Surf's Up has always been the song to close it. It's the innocence before the westward expansion personified. The "hero" of SMiLE is looking back on everything, and reflecting on a more simple time, before it was nothing but "heroes" and "villians".
|
|
|
6056
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: SMiLE's Complete Material - How Much Is There?
|
on: February 12, 2009, 10:25:25 AM
|
Now, this is an awfully difficult question, so here's something for the eggheads: I always wondered how much material for SMiLE is there in total (by which I mean: available officially and unofficially - perhaps we'll never know how much ever was recorded). Exact replications are not allowed, but 'related stuff' is. My definition of 'related' means: two versions of, say, 'Wonderful', with only a brief sigh at the end of one of these, that's out. There has to be something really to be savoured for the connoisseur. So: a stereo and a mono version of a single track, that's in.
I know this is probably a silly question after 42 years of heated debate. If it is, say so please.
But this question comes up with me every time the wish: 'Oh that Capitol would put out a SMiLE box much in the vein of the Pet Sounds Sessions box set'.
Do you count fan mixes? I have a mix of Child Is The Father of The Man that is quite different to the usual bootleged versions.
|
|
|
6061
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Hawaiian chants in Roll Plymouth Rock?
|
on: February 04, 2009, 08:23:27 PM
|
Specifically, what was the original intent for "Heroes And Villains", what was the "Barnyard Suite", what comprised "The Elements", and what was Brian's working sequence (assuming he had a rough one)? With the speed in which Brian talks, that would take about another half an hour to answer. Of course, I wouldn't want to send him over the edge with these emotionally troubling questions.... Well, I have another dumb theory, being the resident Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks impersonator around here. My theory is that the cantina version of "H&V" reveals the songs original structure. The "in the cantina..." part replaces the "barnyard" section ("out in the barnyard..." to "in the cantina..."), and the "dum...dum...dum..." section with the distortion replaces "I'm in Great Shape" (I'm inferring this by how both end, with echoing distortion). Brian identified those as sections of "H&V" in the famous demo, and I think the cantina mix was trying to put "H&V" back together after having cannibalized the sections for the separate track "I'm in Great Shape". If you were to follow "I'm in Great Shape" with the early version of the cantina "H&V" fade with the "you were my sunshine" vocals, it makes some thematic sense. But I'm just trying to do detective work without enough clues. Also, something else interesting I found out accidentally: Threescore and ten: The span of a life. In the days that this was coined that was considered to be seventy years. There is a use of it that refers to the span of our lives, in Psalms 90: The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. As with many other Biblical phrases, this was picked up by Shakespeare. In Macbeth, we have: Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time I have seen Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night Hath trifled former knowings. So, besides "at threescore and five..." from the cantina "H&V" dating the narrator as 65 years old, it also reveals that he is at the end of his life and is reflecting on what has happened. That is a great theory. I also have a theory, if you could all indulge me for a moment. I have always thought that the center piece of Smile is Surf's Up, not H&V. When the song ends with the "a children's song" line, it's the "hero" of the Smile story reflecting on the innocence of life. It's a theme that is touched on in Wonderful. I envision this guy thinking about "a children's song", about the innocence that once was, before the westward expansion. Before it was nothing but "heroes" against the "villians".
|
|
|
6062
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Hawaiian chants in Roll Plymouth Rock?
|
on: February 02, 2009, 10:13:36 PM
|
I must say that this is one of the most entertaining, thought provoking discussion's of SMiLE that I've ever read. One question though. Do you think that it's possible that discussion's like these are the very reason that Van Dyke has not really talked much about it? The SMiLE story is kind of like some big conspiracy. We start to ask to many questions, and sooner or later we might accidentally find an answer or two. Melinda wouldn't want that.
|
|
|
6064
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Making a Smile mix.
|
on: January 31, 2009, 08:38:01 PM
|
There's a couple of similar threads going on right now with overlapping themes regarding SMiLE. And that's great. I could read/talk about it all day. Is it possible that we could dedicate this particular thread to us nuts, like me, who are obssessed with making the perfect SMiLE mix? There are no wrong answers, anything goes. Just state your OPINION and your reason(s) for it.
Ok, I'm up for it. It's interesting that you would put Good Vibrations and Look back to back, considering that a portion of Look actually quotes a section of GV. It actually works quite well. Personally, I'd skip GV from my mix. I always thought that it was a case of Brian giving in to Capitol and including the latest hot single on the current album, rather than an artistic decision.
|
|
|
6067
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Roy Orbison
|
on: January 29, 2009, 12:31:52 PM
|
I guess that the group liked him. They were touring with him on the same bill as recently as 1988. My parents saw them in 1988, and Roy Orbison was the opening act. It was one of the last show's he ever played.
|
|
|
6070
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Best Beach Boys concerts 61-97
|
on: January 26, 2009, 10:07:40 PM
|
I don't really remember the two shows I saw(I was seven), but Philadelphia 1980 has to be up there. Copenhagen 1980 is pretty good too. As is Hawaii 1967. Carnegie Hall 1972 is INCREDIBLE. It NEEDS to be released officially. Dennis's coda to Only With You is great, as is Carl's singing. Nassau 1974 is another great concert, but the recording I have heard has a few fade in's and out's of songs. Springfield 1979 is surprisingly good for the time period. Hartford 1973 is another great one.
|
|
|
6071
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / Ask The Honored Guests / Re: The Alan Boyd Thread
|
on: January 25, 2009, 11:37:05 PM
|
I believe I know the exact spot guitarfool2002 is talking about. It's right on the line "I hear the sound of a gentle word". It happens right on the drawn out "IIIII....". It's a weird pop/warble sound. I think I read somewhere that it's the result of an edit, but they couldn't make it any more "less obvious" for some reason.
|
|
|
6074
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Smile's \
|
on: January 23, 2009, 11:03:03 PM
|
I'm pretty sure that I just heard the track being discussed in this thread. It's the one with the keyboard sounding instrument doing a scale-like progression, right? Is it just me, or is this basically the melody for Stevie? Listen to the instrumental track, and sing the first verse of Stevie, syncopated.
|
|
|
6075
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Making a Smile mix.
|
on: January 23, 2009, 01:15:47 AM
|
I don't expect this topic to be here long, but I figured I'd just do it and hope a few people see it while it's still up. I have a few Smile ideas, but I don't have the technical know how to do it. If anybody can help, or if anybody wants to volunteer to spend some spare time, I'd appreciate a PM or two.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|