"We'll Run Away And Get Married" question

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Hi,

Here's a question for those more knowledgeable than I.

On the harmony kick at the beginning of the second verse of WRAAGM, the track drops out. Was this intentional, or was the track taped over during the vocal session? I've always suspected the latter, but also think it sounds great, and really highlights the backing vox. Happy mistake?

Cheers

[Jason]

I would say it was deliberate.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I've just listened to it again. The track drops out leaving vocals and organ. I would say deliberate as well if the track drop-out wasn't so sloppy.

[Jason]

Well, you and I both know that for all of Brian's perfectionism there were bits and pieces of little accidents in many of the mixes.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Accident or not, it sounds great.

Have just realized this would have been a perfect question for the miscellaneous questions thread though........

[busy doin nothin]

I love "We'll Run Away," have listened to it hundreds of times, but never really focused on the drop-out.  Thanks for calling attention to it!  It's a very cool effect.  On a couple of listens, I would vote that it was an intentional erasure of the instrumental track, done for effect.

[adamghost]

I always thought it was a mistake, maybe a track that got wiped in error or had a glitch in it.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Well, on the SOT the basic track and the O.D. kind of experience a strange drop out, so that exists on the multi-track.  Hard to say if it is intentional but if it was not it was a pretty big boo-boo since it seems to be across at least 2 tracks of tape.  What's also odd is that the tape slap seems to carry into the drop out, as if they were "processing" the track while flipping the switch, or something.

[pixletwin]

I have nothing to add to the conversation except to say that I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. IO always get a slight flutter in my chest when I hear this song.

[Chris Brown]

I have nothing to add to the conversation except to say that I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. IO always get a slight flutter in my chest when I hear this song.

Agreed completely - Brian's voice on this one is just plain ridiculous.

[CenturyDeprived]

I've always thought it was NOT intentional, and was a screw-up that got left in there.

It's not seemingly at a proper song time interval, and almost randomly occurs during a vocal line... then after this dropout ends, the music bed comes back somewhat clunkily right as Brian says "forever", sort of in the middle of a musical phrase.

It always has kinda annoyed me, since I love this song to death. 

[bossaroo]

there's a similar drop out on Good Vibrations during the first verse. they both strike me as oversights in the final mix, but who knows?

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Funny, the times I've listened to GV must equal or surpass my proverbial hot dinners intake, but I've never heard this discrepancy. I'll have a good listen later.

It's not on my vocal multitrack tape (just joking)

[sockittome]

Back to "We'll Run Away", I've never heard the mono mix.  Does it contain this same anomoly?

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I had the original 64' LP,  and yes, it's always been there.

I think it was a mistake that worked, and it's possible this then inspired Brian to recreate it for Sloop John B. That was unusual for the time

[Chris Brown]

I had the original 64' LP,  and yes, it's always been there.

I think it was a mistake that worked, and it's possible this then inspired Brian to recreate it for Sloop John B. That was unusual for the time

I agree - it's not clean enough to make me think it was planned.  Brian was doing instrumental drop-outs pretty early on ("I Get Around" and "When I Grow Up" are the two examples that come to mind), so he probably just found it to be a happy accident.

[sockittome]

i dunno.  It just sounds so clumsy to me on "We'll Run  Away", whereas it sounds much more deliberate and natural on the  other songs.  Maybe it took him a while to perfect.

[lance]

Sounds clumsy to me. I've always assumed it was a mistake. It just sounds like one.

[Runaways]

i've never thought of it as a mistake and i would think it was brian experimenting.  much like that annoying changing of the volume at the end of help me ronda