Unreleased Track Information Station

[Ed Roach]

There's a whole bunch more unreleased tracks from '78-'81, I think we talked about several of them in other threads.  Key tracks from the KTSA-LA sessions would be "Calendar Girl," "California Feelin'", "I Will Always Love You," "Surfer Suzie", "Smokey Places", "Goin' To The Beach"...what else am I forgetting?

There's also a version of "Calendar Girl" that was recorded at Criteria Studios, at the very beginning of the sessions for L.A. Light.  Seems like someone has played it for me before, and it wasn't at all the quality I remembered it being in the studio.  The session was a little fuzzy for me, because Dennis was working on "Love Surrounds Me" in a smaller studio across the parking lot, and kept dragging me out of Brian's session to help him set up.
I kept returning to watch and listen to Brian, though, as he was back in top form.  Some of the guys, like Bobby & Carly, hadn't experienced Brian in the studio in the old days, and were amazed at some of the things he was doing, like changing the tape speed to turn Carly's organ into a calliope.  Sadly, something happened to Brian's spirits on the second day, and he slipped into a deep, deep funk.  It was that same day that a call was placed to Bruce...

[Andrew G. Doe]

There's a whole bunch more unreleased tracks from '78-'81, I think we talked about several of them in other threads.  Key tracks from the KTSA-LA sessions would be "Calendar Girl," "California Feelin'", "I Will Always Love You," "Surfer Suzie", "Smokey Places", "Goin' To The Beach"...what else am I forgetting?

There's also a version of "Calendar Girl" that was recorded at Criteria Studios, at the very beginning of the sessions for L.A. Light.  Seems like someone has played it for me before, and it wasn't at all the quality I remembered it being in the studio.  The session was a little fuzzy for me, because Dennis was working on "Love Surrounds Me" in a smaller studio across the parking lot, and kept dragging me out of Brian's session to help him set up.
I kept returning to watch and listen to Brian, though, as he was back in top form.  Some of the guys, like Bobby & Carly, hadn't experienced Brian in the studio in the old days, and were amazed at some of the things he was doing, like changing the tape speed to turn Carly's organ into a calliope.  Sadly, something happened to Brian's spirits on the second day, and he slipped into a deep, deep funk.  It was that same day that a call was placed to Bruce...

The version of "Calendar Girl" from 1978 that was doing the rounds was, to be polite about it, somewhat leaden. It was on the tape the band played for CBS boss Walter Yetnikoff (the songs on the tape (dated incorrectly August 28th) were a mixture of Criteria recordings - "California  Feeling", "Brian's Back" & "Calendar Girl" - and material recorded earlier in LA at  Brother and Western: "Baby Blue" (the Bambu version), "Looking Down The Coast/Monterey" & "Santa Ana Winds" (original version)) which provoked his legendary comment "Gentlemen, I think I've just been f***ed !"

[Ed Roach]

Believe me, though, there was absolutely nothing "leaden" about what Brian began recording...  I was so surprised he was starting off with an 'oldie' again, but the song was really cooking, and he was so energized he seemed like he was back in his 20's!  However, I doubt that the rough vocals remained for long, and agree that what I've heard that now exists from those sessions has little or no resemblance to what I heard in the studio.  But the same can be said for the early versions of songs from 15 Big Ones.  I've got some rough mixes of early tracks, and it's hard to believe that they evolved into the final mixes that were released!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

The version of "Calendar Girl" from 1978 that was doing the rounds was, to be polite about it, somewhat leaden. It was on the tape the band played for CBS boss Walter Yetnikoff (the songs on the tape (dated incorrectly August 28th) were a mixture of Criteria recordings - "California  Feeling", "Brian's Back" & "Calendar Girl" - and material recorded earlier in LA at  Brother and Western: "Baby Blue" (the Bambu version), "Looking Down The Coast/Monterey" & "Santa Ana Winds" (original version)) which provoked his legendary comment "Gentlemen, I think I've just been fodido !" 

Is it just me, or was that a severe overreation from Yetnikoff? I've heard everything on it aside from the 1978 CG (and I might have heard that too, as I have 2 versions, unless there are actually 3), and it's not that bad. LDTC/M should've been released for sure.

Believe me, though, there was absolutely nothing "leaden" about what Brian began recording...  I was so surprised he was starting off with an 'oldie' again, but the song was really cooking, and he was so energized he seemed like he was back in his 20's!  However, I doubt that the rough vocals remained for long, and agree that what I've heard that now exists from those sessions has little or no resemblance to what I heard in the studio.  But the same can be said for the early versions of songs from 15 Big Ones.  I've got some rough mixes of early tracks, and it's hard to believe that they evolved into the final mixes that were released!

You've just intrigued me immensely. How different did they sound, esp. the 15 BO cuts? Also, which cut was it that Brian altered the organ sound?

[Dunderhead]

There are the single versions on the GV box that are supposed to be different mixes but only sound marginally different. Do any other mixes exist of 15 Big Ones Songs in circulation?

[Andrew G. Doe]

The version of "Calendar Girl" from 1978 that was doing the rounds was, to be polite about it, somewhat leaden. It was on the tape the band played for CBS boss Walter Yetnikoff (the songs on the tape (dated incorrectly August 28th) were a mixture of Criteria recordings - "California  Feeling", "Brian's Back" & "Calendar Girl" - and material recorded earlier in LA at  Brother and Western: "Baby Blue" (the Bambu version), "Looking Down The Coast/Monterey" & "Santa Ana Winds" (original version)) which provoked his legendary comment "Gentlemen, I think I've just been fodido !"  

Is it just me, or was that a severe overreation from Yetnikoff? I've heard everything on it aside from the 1978 CG (and I might have heard that too, as I have 2 versions, unless there are actually 3), and it's not that bad. LDTC/M should've been released for sure.
rian altered the organ sound?

Well, iffn I'd just agreed to pay someone $8,500,000 for their musical services, and they played me that... I think I'd say a lot more than he did. I'd probably grab the nearest band member and start bouncing their head off the nearest wall.  

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I dunno... LDTC/M to me was better than much of LA as was Santa Ana Winds. Same with California Feeling, even though it was the version with Bruce. I can't imagine anybody hearing BB at that stage and not loving it. I can't imagine how those tracks got left out, and yet Full Sail, Sumahama, Goin' South and that version of SB made it out. I mean, the contract stated a certain amount of Brian involvement, yet everything he did on the album was cut out!

[lance]

I sort of agree, though I wouldn't put down those other songs, personally. I definitely think Looking Down the Coast, Santa Ana Winds, California Feeling(though sped up a little from what I've heard) would have been great additions to that album. I wouldn't cut anything except maybe Here Comes the Night, or rather I would have shortened HCTN to the single version, so that it doesn't dominate the album so much.

But maybe it wasn't a case of them thinking that the quality of those songs was bad so much as a case of  them deciding on a general 'lite rock' feel that relatively peppy numbers like Santa Ana Winds and Looking Down the Coast didn't fit.

[Smilin Ed H]

"I would put On Broadway on AGD's list of songs that should be buried, not released. "
Nah, I'm with Mikie on this one.  In fact, it is on my 15 Big Rock'n'Roll Ones!

Don't you think Yetnikoff was expecting a 1965 version of the Beach Boys? I agree that some of the unreleased stuff from LA is better than SOME of the released tracks. 
 
 
 

[Mikie]

Nah, I'm with Mikie on this one.  In fact, it is on my 15 Big Rock'n'Roll Ones!

Yeah, I'm with Smilin' Ed regarding "On Broadway".  And the "hot" mix of "Rock 'n Roll" Music should come out some day. And a no-brainer on the unreleased slow version of "Big Sur". That one shoulda come out on the '93 Good Vibrations box set or Endless Harmony or Hawthorne!

[Matt H]

Nah, I'm with Mikie on this one.  In fact, it is on my 15 Big Rock'n'Roll Ones!

Yeah, I'm with Smilin' Ed regarding "On Broadway".  And the "hot" mix of "Rock 'n Roll" Music should come out some day. And a no-brainer on the unreleased slow version of "Big Sur". That one shoulda come out on the '93 Good Vibrations box set or Endless Harmony or Hawthorne!

I am all for them releasing everything, as I would like to hear it, however if I had to pick, I would want them to release stuff that has not been booted first.

It is surprising that the slow Big Sur hasn't been released yet.

[Fun Is In]

"I would put On Broadway on AGD's list of songs that should be buried, not released. "
Nah, I'm with Mikie on this one.  In fact, it is on my 15 Big Rock'n'Roll Ones!

Don't you think Yetnikoff was expecting a 1965 version of the Beach Boys? I agree that some of the unreleased stuff from LA is better than SOME of the released tracks. 
 

I would think that Yetnikoff was thinking he was running a record company, the whole point of which is to make money, a LOT of money (cocaine is expensive, after all)....and this sounded nothing like magic sales of millions of albums. Did the product go gold, platinum or.....lead balloon?

[runnersdialzero]

Isn't "Rolling Up to Heaven" a bootlegger title?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Probably. Really don't know.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Isn't "Rolling Up to Heaven" a bootlegger title?

Nope - first sighting was in Nick Kent's 1975 NME BW profile. Pays to be old sometimes. 

[Loaf]

Isn't "Rolling Up to Heaven" a bootlegger title?

Nope - first sighting was in Nick Kent's 1975 NME BW profile. Pays to be old sometimes. 

Does anyone else get the feeling there was a real girl named Ruth and this was a tribute to her attributes?

[Bill M]

I don't think I saw "Carry Me Home" on the list.
Just throwin' it out there.

[alf wiedersehen]

Should probably update this list.

[punkinhead]

I definitely agree, also, I know more about some STILL unreleased songs tHan I did 3 years ago.

[luckyoldsmile]

Enjoyed this thread quite a bit. Fun to hit the archives.

[Aomdiddlywalla]

Nah, I'm with Mikie on this one.  In fact, it is on my 15 Big Rock'n'Roll Ones!

Yeah, I'm with Smilin' Ed regarding "On Broadway".  And the "hot" mix of "Rock 'n Roll" Music should come out some day. And a no-brainer on the unreleased slow version of "Big Sur". That one shoulda come out on the '93 Good Vibrations box set or Endless Harmony or Hawthorne!

I am all for them releasing everything, as I would like to hear it, however if I had to pick, I would want them to release stuff that has not been booted first.

It is surprising that the slow Big Sur hasn't been released yet.



Yep