SMiLE Sessions box set!

[The Heartical Don]

As much as I would love to hear everything Smile there exists, I think that Durrie is entitled to her privacy, and it is entirely up to her whether, or not, she collaborates in the present project. No need to endlessly ruminate about her 'duties' here, much less to judge her morally on the matter.

I don't quite agree.  Surely she's aware of the mythical status that Smile has attained, and would understand the significance of this box set.  Why would she assign any sense of "privacy" to the Smile recordings unless she actually appears on them?

Emotional attachment to something her first hubbie was very much involved in? Don't know... could be a variety of reasons. Perhaps she's a very sensitive person who doesn't even want to discuss lending her possesion to engineers who later will return it. What I meant is: we can think all we want to think, but it's up to her. We have no natural birth-right to 'coax' her into doing what we'd like to do her the most... and even if many folks who consider themselves sane think she's a bit strange in this respect, even then things are what they are.

[Andrew G. Doe]

As much as I would love to hear everything Smile there exists, I think that Durrie is entitled to her privacy, and it is entirely up to her whether, or not, she collaborates in the present project. No need to endlessly ruminate about her 'duties' here, much less to judge her morally on the matter.

I don't quite agree.  Surely she's aware of the mythical status that Smile has attained, and would understand the significance of this box set.  Why would she assign any sense of "privacy" to the Smile recordings unless she actually appears on them?

Emotional attachment to something her first hubbie was very much involved in? Don't know... could be a variety of reasons. Perhaps she's a very sensitive person who doesn't even want to discuss lending her possesion to engineers who later will return it. What I meant is: we can think all we want to think, but it's up to her. We have no natural birth-right to 'coax' her into doing what we'd like to do her the most... and even if many folks who consider themselves sane think she's a bit strange in this respect, even then things are what they are.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. 

Seriously, whatever the reason, it's not our place to demand anything, really.

[Cam Mott]

Whether they contain new material or not I'm betting they are worth a considerable amount just as artifacts.

[The Heartical Don]

Whether they contain new material or not I'm betting they are worth a considerable amount just as artifacts.

Cam... are you locating her house right now on Google Earth, and perhaps checking her holidays on Facebook too? Just asking, man...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Whether they contain new material or not I'm betting they are worth a considerable amount just as artifacts.

Cam... are you locating her house right now on Google Earth, and perhaps checking her holidays on Facebook too? Just asking, man...

Don't encourage him...

[buddhahat]

Whether they contain new material or not I'm betting they are worth a considerable amount just as artifacts.

Cam... are you locating her house right now on Google Earth, and perhaps checking her holidays on Facebook too? Just asking, man...

Cam is mobilizing his stalker-cam as we speak ...

[Menace Wilson]

Seriously, whatever the reason, it's not our place to demand anything, really.

I was thinking more along the lines of pleading, begging, bribing, etc. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Seriously, whatever the reason, it's not our place to demand anything, really.

I was thinking more along the lines of pleading, begging, bribing, etc. 

Would it were that simple.

[The Shift]

As much as I would love to hear everything Smile there exists, I think that Durrie is entitled to her privacy, and it is entirely up to her whether, or not, she collaborates in the present project. No need to endlessly ruminate about her 'duties' here, much less to judge her morally on the matter.

I agree. Durrie is entitled to her privacy and any input she might make is up to her. There's no obligation on her part whatsoever, and the chances are she doesn't have the same fanboy Asperger's obsessions that we have with her ex-husband's work output from 45 years ago.


Still, does anyone have her home address, and an idea of whether she locks her garage while she's out?

                                        

[Cam Mott]

Whether they contain new material or not I'm betting they are worth a considerable amount just as artifacts.

Cam... are you locating her house right now on Google Earth, and perhaps checking her holidays on Facebook too? Just asking, man...

Cam is mobilizing his stalker-cam as we speak ...

I'm in a laundry basket in her laundry room in her basement right now. She has great taste in undies I must say.

[The Heartical Don]

Whether they contain new material or not I'm betting they are worth a considerable amount just as artifacts.

Cam... are you locating her house right now on Google Earth, and perhaps checking her holidays on Facebook too? Just asking, man...

Cam is mobilizing his stalker-cam as we speak ...

I'm in a laundry basket in her laundry room in her basement right now. She has great taste in undies I must say.

SMiLE history is thus being written as we speak... pop fetishism galore! 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

What we need is a really good hypnotist...

[The Heartical Don]

What we need is a really good hypnotist...

Dear Durrie... it is not real... it was only in your mind... you will be the real you you used to be when you let go of it... just let go... feel relief... no need anymore to carry that burden that's only there in your imagination... say to that thing just: 'cease to exist'... hand over that empty box to your friendly visitor mr Mott now... be cool... take it easy... yesssssss.... do it now.... yess.... 

[Cam Mott]

...no he's not wearing your boy cut panties...the box...look at the empty box....

[Mooger Fooger]

well here's my two cents for what it is worth:

this pending release of the Smile sessions is representative of a cultural landmark. While AGD may have been joking in the "needs of the many..." quote, there is definitely a bigger picture here that nearly demands this material be examined. The material is finally seeing the light of day officially. This isn't some two-bit bootlegger, this is the very record company who actually financed (in part) the sessions from which the acetates were made. As such not even allowing the material to be examined is extremely short sighted and selfish. Not because we won't get to hear what's on it, but because the very real possibility that what is on them could perhaps shed new light on the genius workings of Brian and Van and thus giving them their long overdue credit and accolades may possibly be denied to those who were actively creating the music. It also denies the access to an important part of America's musical legacy to future generations. Something which seems to be forgotten all too easily.

[Ron]

As much as I would love to hear everything Smile there exists, I think that Durrie is entitled to her privacy, and it is entirely up to her whether, or not, she collaborates in the present project. No need to endlessly ruminate about her 'duties' here, much less to judge her morally on the matter.

I agree. Durrie is entitled to her privacy and any input she might make is up to her. There's no obligation on her part whatsoever, and the chances are she doesn't have the same fanboy Asperger's obsessions that we have with her ex-husband's work output from 45 years ago.


Still, does anyone have her home address, and an idea of whether she locks her garage while she's out?

                                        

LOL

With this stuff it's just hard to understand when we dont' know the whole story.  It could be something as simple as when she got them, she promised to never let anybody borrow them, and she's keeping to her word.  Who knows?

Also another idea is maybe she's a Hoarder, and they're locked inside her bedroom with 30 years of clothes, beer pull tabs and cat hair stacked on top of it and A&E hasn't answered her application video yet. 

There could be a variety of reasons. 

[juggler]

This appears to be from approximately 11 years ago...

Next year after my daughter Zoenda gets married, she and Dave McIntosh, her husband-to-be, and I are going to actually go through the storage. Play the tapes...look at the video....check out the acetates.

http://troun.tripod.com/durrie.html

[Dunderhead]

They're her acetates and she can do whatever she wants with them. But really, what's the point. I'm not saying that we need to go bum rush her and trash her house. I'm just saying it will be a disappointment if Alan and Mark don't make an effort to secure all possible material for this project. So the acetates have sentimental value? Nobody's going to burn them, they could easily be returned to her. It just seems really silly. This is it, this is the time for these acetates, if not now then when? What happens when she passes away? Are they just going to be lost to history?

It's her right to keep them to herself. But it's my right to be disappointed that this project didn't live up to its full potential for some mysterious reason nobody's willing to disclose.

[Mooger Fooger]

They're her acetates and she can do whatever she wants with them. But really, what's the point. I'm not saying that we need to go bum rush her and trash her house. I'm just saying it will be a disappointment if Alan and Mark don't make an effort to secure all possible material for this project. So the acetates have sentimental value? Nobody's going to burn them, they could easily be returned to her. It just seems really silly. This is it, this is the time for these acetates, if not now then when? What happens when she passes away? Are they just going to be lost to history?

It's her right to keep them to herself. But it's my right to be disappointed that this project didn't live up to its full potential for some mysterious reason nobody's willing to disclose.

You summed up my thoughts exactly. This release is a BIG deal. Having been closely involved with the team trying to locate the original telemetry tapes of Apollo 11, I have little time for people who dismiss historical importance due to some vague reason. No-one who had possible Honeysuckle Creek video of the moonwalk ever made a song and dance about their personal reasons for not making the material available for analysis.

As for concerns about damaging the acetates by plaing them, perhaps those involved might want to familiarize themselves with a system the US Library of Congress uses.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11851842

This Smile release really is a "now or never" situation. Let's hope all those directly involved can act like mature rational adults.

[juggler]

As for concerns about damaging the acetates by plaing them, perhaps those involved might want to familiarize themselves with a system the US Library of Congress uses.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11851842

Fascinating article!  Thanks for posting the link.

I can't really think of any good reason for the producers of the Smile Sessions not to explore this avenue.  And for all we know, maybe they will (or have).   

Of course, it's possible that they've already found such a treasure trove of material (e.g., missing lead vocals for Worms & CIFOTM, Surf's Up part 2, vintage 6-minute H&V mixes, etc.) that all the bases are already covered and anything else from acetates would probably be redundant.  Highly unlikely, I suppose, but we can dream, right? 

[Jeff]

It will be fascinating to see what Alan Boyd & Mark Linett uncover from a few acetates to full fidelity original SMILE tapes.

Okay, both Al and Bruce have now mentioned acetates in the context of this project, so it's a pretty safe bet that Messrs. Boyd and Linett have had (or will have) access to their acetates.

What about Durrie Parks?  For years, there's been a widespread belief that she has a collection of Smile acetates (presumably work-in-progress mixes acquired by her ex-husband back in the day).  Has anyone heard if Durrie has made her collection available for this project?   It's now or never on this stuff.

I'm under the impression she's not been approached.

Sounds like a mission for Jon Hunt or Cam Mott.

[Jay]

This appears to be from approximately 11 years ago...

Next year after my daughter Zoenda gets married, she and Dave McIntosh, her husband-to-be, and I are going to actually go through the storage. Play the tapes...look at the video....check out the acetates.

http://troun.tripod.com/durrie.html

"Look at the video"? 

[exposedbrain]

I seem to remember reading somewhere (maybe it was that Michael Vosse interview) where there was talk of Brian having some early video equipment at his house during the Smile era and that they (Vosse, Anderle, etc) were shooting home videos with it. I've always wondered what might've happened to these tapes.

[SMiLEY]

The thing about the acetates is that some may have vocals that are missing from master tapes, or there could be any number of differences
in mixes or performance. By virtue of Van Dyke being around all  the time, he undoubtedly was in possession of more acetates than the rest
of the band, who were off on the road for big chunks of time.

In the event of duplicate acetates, some are going to be in better shape than others, which means they all should be reviewed. It's kind of
impossible to think they would not approach her at some point before this is over.

[Jay]

The thing about the acetates is that some may have vocals that are missing from master tapes, or there could be any number of differences
in mixes or performance. By virtue of Van Dyke being around all  the time, he undoubtedly was in possession of more acetates than the rest
of the band, who were off on the road for big chunks of time.

In the event of duplicate acetates, some are going to be in better shape than others, which means they all should be reviewed. It's kind of
impossible to think they would not approach her at some point before this is over.

Very true. But there is an even bigger "stumbling block" in this whole project. Van Dyke Parks himself. In some ways, he's a bigger part of SMiLE than Brian.