2003 BB Convention Reminiscence Thread

[Catbirdman]

Over on another thread there's been some discussion about a Beach Boys Convention - Busy Doin' Somethin' - that took place in August 2003 in Connecticut. Rather than continue to hijack that thread, I decided to start a new one here. Before I go any further: all hail Susan Lang for coordinating what turned out to be one of the best Beach Boys-related events ever. For me it runs second only to the live premiere of SMiLE in my personal fan history. Thanks for the memories Susan.

Our honored guests were Stephen W. Desper, Alan Boyd, Ed Roach, and (via phone) Alan Jardine. Did I forget anyone? (I know David Marks showed up at one of those conventions, but I think it was a later one.) There really weren't THAT many people there, which is a shame for those that missed out, but a boon for us, as we had a more intimate setting around the bar talking to the guests. Mr. Desper provided a mixing board and allowed us punters to twiddle the knobs, making our own mixes of a few Desper-era songs - I remember "Cool Cool Water" was one (anyone remember the others?). Mr. Boyd set up a listening station and played us some ultra-rare tracks from deep in the BB archive. Mr. Roach was a general all-around raconteur, regaling us all with tales of youth and adventure. Someone - it may have been Ed - also premiered a bunch of raw video footage that Dennis shot, or something along those lines... someone please fill in the gaps in my knowledge here. I sorely wanted to watch those, but I couldn't be two places at once, so I had to choose - and I chose the listening sessions instead. I will post again later this evening with notes on the songs I heard that weekend. In the meantime...

Callin' all - raise your hand if you were there. Please post your memories on this thread.

[Mikie]

The best Beach Boys conventions were the 1990 and 1992 conventions in San Diego, put on by ESQ. Honorable mention goes to the 1980's Beach Boys conventions in the Bay Area, organized by Mr. Chan.

[bgas]

The best Beach Boys conventions were the 1990 and 1992 conventions in San Diego, put on by ESQ. Honorable mention goes to the 1980's Beach Boys conventions in the Bay Area, organized by Mr. Chan.

I didn't/haven't made it to any of them; but I bet those who were at the 2003 might argue the point with you mikie. Just from the tracks list that AB played, I think it gives the others a run for the $$( based on yours and others descriptions of them)  And I realize Brian played for at least one of those SD ones, correct?
Just sayin

[Susan]

Thanks, catbirdman and bgas.  I had a blast at all three.

FWIW, there are a bunch of people who were at all three of my conventions, and David and Carrie are two of them.  Who else can say they were at all three?  Quite a few people, actually...how many will check in here?

[Catbirdman]

Good to see you Susan!

I had heard about those San Diego conventions and I heard they were great. Wish I could have been there. That said, this one was for the East Coast folks. And thanks to Elliott Lott and Alan Boyd, we had plenty of musical treats. Digging up my notes from back then:

I have broken it into four parts: 


1. “Sneak Preview” Listening Session, Friday Night, August 9.
2. Official Listening Session #1, Saturday afternoon, August 10.
3. Official Listening Session #2, Saturday afternoon, August 10.
4. “Bonus Tracks” – impromptu listening session, Saturday night, August 10. 


We pulled in Friday evening and right before bedtime Stephen Desper and Alan Boyd let us in on a little sneak preview. Unfortunately I did not have my notebook on hand for this first session, so I have little to report. It began with some material from Dennis. Mr. Desper explained that it was intended for a solo album in the early seventies, and that what we were hearing was for the most part Dennis “getting his feet wet” and teaching himself how to work in the studio. The first track we heard was piano-based, medium tempo, not as emotionally urgent as, say, Cuddle Up, and after a minute or two the conventional piano arrangement developed into fuller sections. I tried and tried to lock their character in my memory but sadly it’s gone. All I remember is that first track got better as it went on. There were perhaps 4-5 more selections played, most of which were also included in the official listening sessions the following day. I did take notes on those, so I will cover them in a later post. Mr. Desper explained that much of what we were hearing were unformed ideas and probably not many lyrics or complete song structures had at that point been conceived. 


Following the Dennis material, we were treated to the unreleased second Flame LP in its entirety. It was quite a striking opening. Just a straight, sparse, piano tune. Blondie’s singing was a very straight reading, plaintive and more powerful as a result. Various bells and whistles were pulled out near the end of the track, but the main character of the song was straight, spare, piano ballad. I remember thinking it was a very bold way to begin an album. I can no longer remember any of the titles, but there were 8-9 tracks, and it was REALLY good stuff. The last 4 tracks were indeed the best tracks on first listen. Just extremely creative, groovy, challenging arrangements, nice use of Moogs, emotive singing. Everything you’d expect from Flame but so much more accomplished and developed. The songs were solid. 

I just found a website that listed a few of the tracks from the Flame LP: Seven Sisters, Sigh Baby Sigh, Sunny Skies, Sweet Jane, and Thank Someone. I remember Seven Sisters was on Side 1, Sweet Jane was the last song on the album, and Thank Someone was I think 3rd from last. Thank Someone was one of my favorites – it opened with a strummed acoustic guitar-based arrangement, the kind of thing that is usually done to death but was actually a welcome change of pace on this album. Sweet Jane, by the way, is NOT the Lou Reed tune. I seem to remember Sunny Skies as being just what you’d expect – one of the more upbeat and catchy songs on the LP. I will stop talking about this music now because I have nothing valuable to say – but let it be known that it blew our socks off. 


Up next: Official Listening Session #1

[Catbirdman]

Official Listening Session #1, Saturday afternoon, August 10.

The first official listening session opened with a strong rocker from the pen of Alan Boyd – the theme song of the Convention, Busy Doin’ Somethin.' Mr. Boyd’s stellar musical reputation is not exaggerated. The mix was perfect, the parts were imaginative. It was a pastiche, of course, and that is what the situation called for. He even worked in the Shortenin’ Bread lick to excellent effect. I’m sure this song will be making the rounds in the collector circles before long, so I won’t say much more about it, except to give you all a heads-up on the tag. Steve Kalinich is there in all his glory, reading off his skipping reels of rhyme, informing us, with some urgency, that we are the infinite (Blake would be proud), and basically that we can, every one of us, accomplish absolutely anything we want to.

Cottonfields. Vocals only. Al’s version, the single. What can I say? Close your eyes and imagine. It was that and more. Have you ever really sat and marveled at the vocal arrangement and chord progression in that last verse right around where the key changes?



I’m In Great Shape, version #1, recorded October 27, 1966 at a Heroes & Villains session. There were three short snippets of I’m In Great Shape spread across this listening session, but I will speak to all three here. The first take features a heavily-reverbed piano or tack piano, played in the lower register, medium-slow tempo. Over the piano is a saxophone playing the eggs and grits melody. All three takes feature a “tape explosion” as heard in the Cantina H&V. The second take is very similar, but a bit faster and a brighter sound to the piano. The third take is my favorite. It features a plucked sound – maybe piano strings taped down? The sax plays staccato notes. The bass line is great in this third take, as it does some little jaunty runs a la Child Is Father Of The Man.



It’s A New Day is a Dennis solo track from 1971. According to Mr. Desper, it was intended for a commercial for Dry Command, an anti-perspirant. But that aside, it was a solid song. Blondie sang lead, unless my ears deceived me. It’s an up-tempo number that climaxes at the end of each verse with “It’s a new daaaaaay” – the word “day” sustaining a higher note than the rest of the phrase. Near the end of the song there’s a nice little quick break where it goes down to just a piano and a backing vocal, and then it kicks right back in with a full, lush tag the hovers on one chord through the fade (though of course what we heard didn’t fade, but it was obviously meant to in the final mix). I might be wrong, but I seem to recall the chord of the tag was NOT the dominant chord of the song, which is an effect that has always appealed to me.

Da Doo Ron Ron. This is a Keepin’ The Summer Alive outtake. We heard a vocals-only version. It’s as you would expect. Typical arrangement for that album, a little too busy maybe (actually much more basic than Goin’ On or even School Days, but very full all the way through), predictable, sensible, and fun. Carl sings lead. Yes, of course it is a cover of the Spector tune.



I’m In Great Shape, version #2 – see notes above. 


Won’t You Tell Me. This is a Rick Henn/Murry-driven track from 1970. I do not know who the composer was, but I’m guessing one of those two with maybe Brian involvement as well. You could call it a companion to Soulful Old Man Sunshine, but it’s more of an honest-to-God ballad and is much – how can I put it – sappier. Brian sings a nice light lead. The song opens with the line from the title, and the chorus climaxes with the words “together, you and I,” once again perpetuating that grammatical monstrosity that we just can’t seem to rid this world of. The backing vocal parts at a certain point near the end of the verses (leading into the chorus) are very interesting, with some passing notes that you wouldn’t expect. This is not one of my favorite tracks because it reminds me too much of Deirdre and that ilk, but it is a well-written tune and a typically (for the time) lush production.



I’m Going Your Way. Dennis solo, 1969. According to our hosts, Dennis’ vocal is a scratch. They tell me this is actually making the rounds amongst collectors now. Imagine that. So I guess many of you already know that it’s a rocker cut from a similar cloth as Got To Know The Woman, but lacking female backing vocals sadly. It features an energetic trebly guitar solo that is begging to be beefed up on the board. It’s a good track, not as good as San Miguel but better than Got To Know The Woman. Maybe. 


Kiss Me Baby, instrumental track only. Beautiful and yet another pang in the gut that we can’t go to the store and buy a Today/Summer Days sessions/stereo box. 


Walkin’. 1969 Sunflower outtake. We’ve all seen this one listed on the first sequencing of Sunflower, and we’ve all been curious. The track was nothing like I expected it to be. It was an out and out goof. It started right off the top with the Brian vocal: “My folks have a friend / who knows a little old lady…” and continued to tell the twisted tale of some woman who stalls her electric automobile and has to walk the rest of the way. It was a blues shuffle, driven by a pure, spare arrangement of bass, organ, drums, and embellished with some harmonica blues flourishes. Brian is a real cut-up throughout, and I seem to recall some spoken asides before he starts singing, and definitely later, about halfway through the track, when his performance breaks down and he laughingly exclaims “Look, I can’t sing this bitch!” Now, I might have misheard what he said there, but that was the spirit of it. It was pretty damn funny, and I sure wish I had it in my collection. 


Vega-Tables. This is the “demo” as it were. You know the one, with the “cornucopia” lyrics and the laughing. The one that’s on the March 1966 comp reel. We’ve all heard it, but not all of us have heard it in such pristine quality. The stereo vocals knocked our socks off. Funny anecdote: when the laughing started, a few of us made eye contact and started laughing in earnest and before long most of the room were nearly rolling on the floor as well. Brian’s music is infectious. 


Caroline, No. Stars ‘n’ Stripes, 1996. Backing vocals only. Puts a lump in your throat as the final project with Carl and all the Boys sans Dennis. Now I wouldn’t contend that the Stars ‘N’ Stripes album was anything but the turd it’s commonly criticized as being, but the Beach Boys are the Beach Boys. What I mean is, those vocals ALWAYS sound amazing, regardless of the material. And as it happens this number in particular had a great arrangement. I would LOVE to see this entire album released with backing vocals only. 


Shake, Rattle, & Roll. 15 Big Ones outtake, 1976. This is a cover of the old classic tune. The arrangement is not overly ambitious; I think there was a loose sax in there and rolling percussion. The track skips along quite nicely and Al delivers his usual solid lead. The backing vocals are all mid-rangey standard call and response kind of stuff. I like this track quite a bit but then (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again regardless of the effect it has on my credibility) 15 Big Ones is one of my top 5 favorite Beach Boys albums. If you like Palisades Park, you’ll like this one. 


Intro – Ecology. 1971, Dennis solo track. Part of this has often been known as “All Of My Love.” Actually, there are a number of sections to it, and more than anything other than Rio Grande or SMiLE itself, this music smacks of “grand-suite-itis.” Most of the pieces overlapped each other, begging the question of whether Dennis planned on editing them together in that sequence or if they just happened to end up on tape that way. Again, Mr. Desper stressed that the music of this time was a collection of works-in-progress, and Dennis was feeling his way through. But the title of the track certainly suggests a larger frame story. The first section of “Intro – Ecology” is the “all of my love” choral section as heard on the bootleg. It’s Dennis, double-, triple-, and kazilliontuple-tracked with himself so that it sounds like a huge choir. Then there’s a count-in to a different section. We hear water bubble sounds and exotic Moog sounds over a shimmery Eastern-flavored track. If you’re familiar with Pink Floyd’s Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, Richard Wright’s keyboard parts in particular, that will give you a feel for the mood (and harmonic mode) of this section. Dennis had laid down some backing vocals as well, and I can hear the exact melody in my head, a chant-like “run, run, river run / move the body.” This section was WAY COOL. Then there’s another overlapping count-in and a new section begins. This one, in a faster tempo, is based on a piano playing arpeggiated chords VERY much like in the opening of River Song. That section then segues into a final section that I was familiar with. I think it’s known as “Quad Symphony” or some such. This particular part features some organ trills played in a very fast baroque style.

Please Let Me Wonder. Live 1965 in Chicago. Brian is present and sings lead. I’m more of a studio outtakes kind of guy myself, so this kind of stuff interests me but doesn’t thrill me.



Our Sweet Love. Instrumental track and partial backing vocals only. The Brian backing vocals (“doo-doo-doo-do-dooo-do-do”) were isolated against the majesty of the arrangement. I think we all know how beautiful this one is.

I’m In Great Shape, version #3 – see notes above.



Wonderful. Live from the “box set tour,” 1993. Most of us have heard the Valley Forge show (not sure if this is the same show or not) and are familiar with the arrangement. They have the harpsichord in there and the vocal performances (lead by Carl) are spot on.

California Feelin’ demo. 1974. Just Brian and a piano. Wow. The first time I heard it I was a bit disappointed because the approach was so unexpected. Then when I had the chance to hear it a second time its beauty hit home. Brian plays a GOSPEL piano on this cut. Gone is the straight reading and measured ease of the Bruce remake. Gone is the soft, sauntering laze. Instead it’s a dangerous and desperate stab at reclaiming the landscape as a haven for the soul. Brian believes what he’s singing but it’s crumbling around him. The more the scary truth threatens to overtake him – the truth that it’s all a half-assed veneer – the more his voice breaks in an earnest, exuberant plea. There are some gulped phrasings bordering on embarrassment; some rushed lyrics and some frankly goofy interpretations on the theme. He wants this to be a postcard sung in Las Vegas. He wants it to be a classic. It’s not, just like California is not. At least not in a God Only Knows sense. Now THAT’S a classic. But that’s also an ideal, and wouldn’t it be nice if it were true. When you’re 24 and on top of the music business the love of the ideal can just about take you away. When you’ve lost your father and you’ve returned from exile, your mind shattered, your drugs medicating less and less, the ideal taunts you no matter how hard you try to still believe. This is a very moving cut, if nothing else. I really hope everyone gets to hear it someday. When you do, you will be surprised. Expect a gospel piano (not the usual chordal banging), an affected, bewildered crooning, and a wandering, lost-at-sea tempo, and you might just get the spirit of it all.

Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Live Again. 1971, Dennis solo. Surf’s Up outtake. Simply the best unreleased Dennis cut I have ever heard, despite the clunky title. This one will get an official release soon, it just has to. At least, if the honored guests that were at the convention get their way, it will. The tag matches that of Funky Pretty in terms of pure funkiness, but it’s much less jerky. GREAT bass line and flutes on the tag. Why this (or for that matter San Miguel or Fourth Of July) didn’t make the lineup of the Surf’s Up LP I will never understand. Actually, I do understand, but I can’t accept it. Mr. Desper confirmed that it was an important goal to have equal representation on the albums, as they were very much a group project. Dennis, he said (and he acknowledged he was only speculating based on hindsight), seemingly felt that he had more than done his share on Sunflower, and in fact, had “saved” that album. One could certainly argue the truth of that. When Surf’s Up rolled around, each member had to get in their say, and Mike (Student Demonstration Time) won out over Dennis possibly partly because Dennis was a bit fed up and saving his stuff for his own project. This is all conjecture of course, and keep in mind that I am merely paraphrasing the conversation from the Convention and I apologize if I'm mis-representing. 


Next up, Official Listening Session #2.

[Catbirdman]

3. Official Listening Session #2, Saturday afternoon, August 10.

Warmth Of The Sun. Stars & Stripes, 1996. First up for Listening Session #2 was a gorgeous backing vocals-only version of what I consider to be the album’s best track. I would love to hear a vocals-only version including Willie’s lead as well. Let’s hope that someday in the distant future, when even Stars & Stripes is a relic of the past, that the album gets reissued with bonus tracks of all the backing vocals. We know these mixes have been made; Alan Boyd told Chris Allen that Joe Thomas mixed them all for use in the Endless Harmony documentary.

Add Some Music To Your Day. Alternate lyrics. Musically I heard nothing different about this version, except for something heavy (a fuzz bass or something of that character) being boosted in the tag. The differences were in the vocals, mainly the lyrics. There seemed to be less backing vocals as well, especially on the tag. The lyrics were obviously an earlier draft, with the need for revision apparent. (As an aside, Alan Boyd told us that an early mix of ‘Til I Die has been found that features an earlier draft of the lyrics as well; hopefully that will make its way onto a release at some point.) Despite Brian’s constant championing of the lyrics to this song, I’ve always found them disappointing and one-dimensional, goofy where they should be poetic. The first draft is even worse. Two of the verses (the worst two) are as they are on the final version, with the other two featuring some entirely different couplets. Here is what I was able to write down:

“We heard about … soul
The new sound, the old sound, the timeless sound of rock ‘n’ roll
I’ve heard it since I was one
It’s been a part of all my fun
Add some music to your day

On your way to work it’s with you in your car
In elevators you hear violins; in [coffeehouses??] you hear guitars
Your doctor knows it… etc.”

Honda 55. 1964 studio session for radio commercial. This was nothing new, nothing exciting. Just a small sample of the session that we’ve all had on bootlegs for years.

Mona Kani. 20/20 outtake, 1968. A Dennis track. This is another one that has been .mp3’d to death in recent years; a beautiful, textured instrumental track in the SMiLE vein (reminiscent of Child Is Father Of The Man in feel) that has leaked out to the collecting proletariat in the poorest sound quality imaginable. If there’s anything worse than 36th generation tape hiss, it’s a low-res digital audio file. Bob Hanes once said it sounds like something swirling out of a trash can, and I couldn’t have described it better than that. So you can probably imagine what a thrill it was to hear this track in great quality. On the sheet that someone (I presume either Mr. Desper or Mr. Boyd) typed up that listed all the songs, this one was spelled “Monacana.” Actually I wrote “Moncana” but I’m thinking I might have left out one of the A’s when I wrote it down. Does anyone know where that spelling might have come from and if it is correct?

Vega-Tables/Take A Load Off Your Feet (medley). Live from the “unplugged” tour, 1993. I say Vega-Tables because I mean Vega-Tables. It’s the SMiLE arrangement with the Do A Lot sections in there. This was the second selection from this tour that was played to us, the other being Wonderful. This one, to me at least, was by far the best, and Wonderful is one of my all-time favorite songs. But with these two songs (both played in their entirety and linked together) they really nailed it in performance and spirit. I have the Valley Forge show from this tour, as many of us do, but I couldn’t say for sure if it’s the same show or not. Probably not. In any case, hearing it at the Convention was like hearing it for the first time. This is one tour that is screaming out for an official release.

Had To Phone Ya. Instrumental track. Yes, I am biased toward the 15 Big Ones material. To me it is the John The Baptist to Love You’s Jesus. Virtually no one on this Earth agrees with me, so I’ll accept it and shut up. But this track would blow me away no matter what album it comes from. The internet is plagued with hyperbole. With all the people infesting this world, you get every imaginable permutation of sickness in word and thought and it’s all collected for us on the internet. So maybe I’m just adding my sludge to the foul pool, but I will stand up and say it clearly: This track is as good as Pet Sounds. Better. With vocals or without, I would stand by that statement. In this case it was just the instruments. Has anyone ever REALLY sat down and listened to this track? Why is it not consistently listed as one of Brian’s top 10 pocket symphonies? The version that was played to us was a much fuller arrangement, most notably due to the addition/emphasis of a bed of strings that ran throughout the song. The final version on 15 Big Ones was cut back considerably, but it is still majestic. Add the words (one of Brian’s most brilliant guided tours of the mystic minutiae of everyday life – ultimately an essay on human longing) and it’s a masterpiece.

Back Home. Demo version, 1970. This was a rough demo of the track that followed, and having neglected to note it I can not recall if it was piano-based or if it was a fuller demo. Al sang the lead with Carl and Brian providing the backup. See also next track…

Back Home. Sunflower outtake, 1970. Once I figured out what song it was, I was too much in shock to adequately record on paper what I was hearing. I knew this song was recorded for Sunflower of course, but had never heard it. I was familiar, as most of us are, with the other two incarnations (1963 and 1976) of the song, and as a result I had some foolish expectations about this version. For example, I expected the lyrics to be similar. Another example: I expected the music to be similar. Logical assumptions, you say? Well, throw ‘em out the window. This was completely different, and not until the final tag (“back home, back home…”) did it tread on truly familiar territory. The other versions of Back Home are very straight-forward, 1-4-5 exercises, and this was too, for the most part, but it had a few subtle chord substitutions and the arrangement was Sloop-ified, if you will. Sloop John B. is a good example of a 1-4-5 song that Brian dressed for success. This felt similar. The track had a California (as in Al’s song – you know, barrancas, chaparral, Country Joe, Steinbeck, etc.) feel to it, with a loping bass line. Other than that I can neither describe nor remember, much to my great loss. On first listen it wasn’t a great track by any means, but it was fun and interesting, at least as much as, say At My Window (which I adore), and infinitely more than Tears In The Morning (which I don’t). Boy, would I love to have this one in my collection.

Slip On Through. Instrumental track, 1969. Sticking with Sunflower, this was the perfect follow-up to Back Home. I’ve always liked this track, and it has obvious selling points, but it’s never really grabbed my gut so to speak. There were some differences in the mix that we heard at the Convention, and they all made the track more interesting to my ears. On beats 2 and 4 (where you want to hear the snare, but of course the snare comes on a screwy beat, which has always been my favorite thing about this song) there were guitar slaps (percussive hits of 2-4 strings of a chord) that really gave it some punch. There was a percussive sound – I wrote cowbells but I’m not sure if that’s what it was or just something with that character – on the downbeats that also provided punch and definition. The bass line was very active in the break after the chorus, and I don’t remember it doing that on the LP version, but I could be wrong. Bass saxophones were also prominent, something I had never associated with this track before.

Tones. March 1967. Carl’s production, probably his composition as well, although I have not heard that confirmed. It's a string-driven tune (violas and cellos I would guess?), mid-tempo, with some nice chord changes in the last part of the verses leading to the chorus, and a snazzy slide guitar overdub on the final chorus/fade. The drums also kick in at the same time as the guitar. It's very similar to that string-laden "Goat" track (can't remember which one - there are more than one) from the High Llamas' "Gideon Gaye" album.  Of course the real kicker was the crystal-clear sound quality. The frustrating part though is that prior to the final chorus, you can hear a lapse in sound quality, and a sharp click, as though someone turned a knob or something. I never could figure out what could have caused that - maybe someone was adjusting levels prior to the overdub of the guitar/drums? Who knows. But anyway, that little glitch is in the recording that has circled the 'net; alas, it was also in the recording played for us at the Convention.

Running Bear. 15 Big Ones outtake, 1976. Brian doesn’t rush this one, much to its benefit, and as is his wont during the 15 Big Ones sessions, he smothers it in sax. Low, growling saxophones. Mike sings the lead. It would be a welcome addition to my collection (A double disc of 15 Big Ones with a disc full of outtakes is my reissue wet dream right after the SMiLE box) but in all honesty this track is only fair. See, even I can be objective. It is begging for backing vocals, specifically echoes of the lead lines (a friend of me said he was hearing the same exact parts), but it’s just Mike’s part.

Fig Plucker. 20/20 Sessions, 1968. This was an excerpt from that treasured piece of tom-foolery that graces the Goodbye Surfing release. Scandalously, I rarely actually get around to pulling that one out and listening to it, but after hearing it again at the Convention I am realizing that it’s at least good for keeping blood pressure low. They say having a pet reduces stress, and I would suggest a three-pronged approach of owning a kitty cat, saying “I love you” to your reflection 10 times each morning, and listening to Fig Plucker on your lunch break every day. It somehow achieves the trick of releasing aggression and producing relaxation simultaneously, and that is a rare feat. Maybe “Fig Plucker” was Dennis’ mantra?

Breakaway. Vocals-only version. Ho hum. OK, OK, so it’s gorgeous and all of that, but you know, it’s like, well, we already had it. For me this song suffers from “Disney Girls syndrome;” that is, it seems to appear, in some form or other, on every imaginable collection or special project of the Beach Boys that gets officially released or presented. I’m just tired of it is all.

Boys And Girls. Keepin’ The Summer Alive outtake, 1979. This was an instrumental track only. Not only had I not heard this song before, I had never heard OF it. So the anticipation was great. Did it deliver? Absolutely. It was spectacularly so-so. Beatifically boring. As such it fulfilled my expectations to a T, and gave me the same goopy glow inside that the entire KTSA album never fails to conjure. Yeah, I like that album, even though it, well, I guess ‘sucks’ would be a good word. There are some good compositions on that album (Goin’ On is always the most glaring example) but there’s something that keeps the songs mired in mediocrity. Until the Convention I had never quite figured out what. The problem with the recordings on KTSA is they have no dynamics. This track was no exception. It started off with a typical KTSA track: piano/bass/drums/keyboard/possibly a subtle rhythm guitar, all mixed inoffensively and balanced politely, and it chugged through like a trooper until it was done. It never changed gears, never cursed, never spat, never cried, never howled. It just did its thing and excused itself when it was through. Pleasant enough for a fan, but nothing noteworthy for the canon.

Time To Get Alone. Partial vocals. Another great, great song that I’m sick of. Disney Girls syndrome part 2. This, I believe, was the same version that you hear on Hawthorne with the “country mile” lyrics in the bridge. To be honest, I tried, but I didn’t pay attention like I should have. I know many of you are probably interested if it had some Redwood vocals or when it was recorded or stuff like that, but I’m ashamed to say I can’t help you much on this one.

Only With You. Live from Carnegie Hall, 1972. This has always been my least favorite Holland song and my least favorite Dennis song, and I know many of you have the opposite opinion. Well, I have to say maybe I’m coming around a bit. After hearing this the second time (one of the 10 or so tracks I got to hear twice over the weekend) it began to sink in. I definitely prefer this performance to the studio recording, and that might be a first for me. The Holland version always annoyed me with the stupid choppy vocal accents on the tag (all I wanna do – OOH). It just seemed out of place and in poor taste. The singing on the tag of the live version is toned down and much more delicate. Of course that’s not the only reason I like or dislike the song; it’s just an example. But in general this live version was much more sensitive and smooth. I liked it quite a bit.

Surf’s Up. Vocals only. As you’d expect, a beautiful performance by Brian, especially when heard so intimately. I am always amazed with that performance in particular how he holds out all those notes in that falsetto and his voice never breaks or wavers in pitch. Oh, if only I could sing like that. The recording they played started at the second verse, with the line “hung velvet overtaken me.” You’d think I’d remember this, but I don’t: I THINK it was the Carl lead but I’m not sure now. The “bygone” backing vocals were there, way up front in the mix. There were some harmonies on the line “columnated ruins domino” that I had never heard clearly, if at all, before. I haven’t gone back to listen to the LP version, but a friend said that he had heard these parts before but they are back in the mix. He claimed that Marilyn sang one of these parts (it DID sound like a woman’s voice), but I had never heard that confirmed. Does anyone know? The full Child tag was there as well, including a part that I had never noticed before – beginning on the and of the three an ascending “that’s why the child” with the word “child” falling on the downbeat of the next measure. There was an answering “yeah yeah” or “hey hey” as well.

Coming up next: the fourth and final installment – “The Bonus Tracks.”

[Catbirdman]

“Bonus Tracks” – impromptu listening session, Saturday night, August 10.

When the Convention was officially over, it was just getting started. Alan replayed songs from the earlier listening sessions, and then on a sudden inspiration challenged us with: “I’d be interested to see how many of you can sing along to this…” and then with no further introduction as to what we were about to hear, proceeded to jar our headphones with:

Solar System. Instrumental track only. I made my entrance on “the planets,” missing the first two words. Not bad for a song that has vocals from the top. I doubt anyone would deny that I was the biggest singing fool in the room on this one. Pity, ‘cause I missed the nuances of the instruments. But hell, the Beach Boys are all about having fun, right? And I wasn’t the only one singing. Alan visibly got a charge out of watching the room get lost in space. Who wouldn’t be? The line about Mars really choked me up, too, I have to say.

Country Air. Stereo Mix. Lost track from January 1967. Given that date, that could possibly fuel speculation that this might have been one of the Elements? Yeah, well, maybe it would if I weren’t a lying sack of sh!t. No, it wasn’t recorded in January. I just put that in there to see who was paying attention. What it was, though, was a crystal-clear, eye-widening sonic success. I made my voice heard on this one, when it was over, saying clearly to Mr. Boyd and Mr. Desper: “Wow, that is one album, along with Smiley Smile, that is just CRYING out for a stereo remix.” I got an encouraging nod of agreement on that one.

Companion. This is the Dennis track. I don’t know the exact year it was recorded, but of course I would guess 1978 or 1979. This was different from the version on Denny Remembered in that there was no lengthy percussion intro, but other than that it seemed the same and played at the same speed (on Surfin’ Rarities it’s obviously sped up). Someone in the room asked Mr. Desper about the authorship, and he said that Carli Munoz either co-wrote it or wrote it outright, just like a lot of the songs Dennis recorded around this time (All Alone is the officially released example). I asked if It’s Not Too Late was another one written with or by Munoz, and Stephen confirmed it was.

I Can Hear Music. Live on the tour with Chicago, 1975. This sounded great. I had read somewhere a few months ago that the tapes from this tour had been located and a few people had expressed interest in seeing an official release. Judging by this track it would be a welcome addition. Of course, I’d first like to have SMiLE, then Brother Rarities, then a stereo Smiley/Wild Honey, then a stereo Today/Summer Days, then a live 1993 release, and maybe a few other things as well before a BB/Chicago live release, but I’ll take whatever I can get. This rendition of ICHM was very strong, with a driving acoustic guitar out front.

Baby, Baby. This is a Dennis song from 1971. There were some false starts and by the time it got to the complete version I think it was on take 5. It was a slow boogie-woogie piano kind of thing, with Dennis goofing around over that. I can’t remember any of the lyrics but it was silly. There was a blues guitar on the track. It would make a nice companion to Walkin’, but it was even rougher than that track.

All Day. Recorded January 3, 1967 at the tail end of a Heroes And Villains session. This was discovered by Alan Boyd when he was researching the vaults for the Hawthorne collection. As it started playing someone in the room asked Alan when it was recorded and I bursted out (a bit too eagerly) “January 3!” It’s what you might expect – a piano exercise where Brian apparently is “feeling out” the theme and experimenting. It’s the Da Da melody all right, but it’s being played with and fleshed out. At one point Brian experiments with working out little chromatic flourishes as he goes from I to IV. It’s very nice. Chuck calls out “All Day” from the booth.

Wind Chimes. Smiley Smile version, stereo mix. Ah, this was nice. Like a cool breeze. This was the final Beach Boys track played that evening (at least the last one I had the good fortune to hear), and it was the perfect, peaceful (if somewhat sinister) send-off back into the real world. You might be interested to know that the “whispering winds” tag also featured the tinkling harpsichord.

[Catbirdman]

All my notes above, mind you, were written in 2003. I realize a lot has changed since then. Most of the tracks have since leaked into collectors' hands, and some information has been confirmed, contradicted, etc. Just sayin'.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The best Beach Boys conventions were the 1990 and 1992 conventions in San Diego, put on by ESQ. Honorable mention goes to the 1980's Beach Boys conventions in the Bay Area, organized by Mr. Chan.

UK 1988 BB convention (the 10th annual one), surprise guest - some guy called Wilson.

Reported in all the UK music press and a few national papers.

[smile-holland]

The best Beach Boys conventions were the 1990 and 1992 conventions in San Diego, put on by ESQ. Honorable mention goes to the 1980's Beach Boys conventions in the Bay Area, organized by Mr. Chan.

UK 1988 BB convention (the 10th annual one), surprise guest - some guy called Wilson.

Reported in all the UK music press and a few national papers.

Ah. the "jaw dropping" and "strong men weep" incident.... were you one of them, Andrew?   

[smile-holland]

All my notes above, mind you, were written in 2003. I realize a lot has changed since then. Most of the tracks have since leaked into collectors' hands, and some information has been confirmed, contradicted, etc. Just sayin'.

@ Catbirdman: thanks a lot for sharing these recollections (and writing them down at the time). Don't have mucht time right now to read it all (I'm at work), but when I'm home I'm going to read it all. And I shouldn't forget to forward the 2nd Flame album bit to a good friend of mine who manages the Flames website (www.the-flames.com). He'll love to read your stories.

Again thanks !!

[letsmakeit31]

Thanks for that I wished I was there esp to hear Solar System instrumental track love that song so much

[Andrew G. Doe]

The best Beach Boys conventions were the 1990 and 1992 conventions in San Diego, put on by ESQ. Honorable mention goes to the 1980's Beach Boys conventions in the Bay Area, organized by Mr. Chan.

UK 1988 BB convention (the 10th annual one), surprise guest - some guy called Wilson.

Reported in all the UK music press and a few national papers.

Ah. the "jaw dropping" and "strong men weep" incident.... were you one of them, Andrew?   

Not exactly. I knew he was going to be there... but yes, the collective gasp was something to behold. 

[Roger Ryan]

Thanks for sharing your notes "Catbirdman"; you did an excellent job of conveying your reaction to hearing these tracks.

I'll only add, as noted in another thread, that the melody to the 1970 "Back Home" is borrowed from "Merry Christmas, Baby".

[Fall Breaks]

Nice read, Catbirdman!

What's the story behind the Get The Boot bootleg? Almost all of these songs ended up on that one.

[smile-holland]

Nice read, Catbirdman!

What's the story behind the Get The Boot bootleg? Almost all of these songs ended up on that one.

I think this post by Alan Boyd (when the last Sea Of Tunes were released which also contained tracks that could be found on Get The Boot) pretty much sums it up.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,3734.msg62657.html#msg62657

[Catbirdman]

Nice read, Catbirdman!

What's the story behind the Get The Boot bootleg? Almost all of these songs ended up on that one.

I think this post by Alan Boyd (when the last Sea Of Tunes were released which also contained tracks that could be found on Get The Boot) pretty much sums it up.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,3734.msg62657.html#msg62657

Oh God. I probably shouldn't answer that one, but I will.

I, too, was/am surprised at how many of those songs ended up in circulation. Let me state very clearly: I had NO IDEA how that happened. Certainly nobody I know at the convention was secretly recording the material or anything like that. I tend to think it happened via the stolen reference cassette that Alan mentioned in his post.

Now, the part I probably shouldn't say...

The "Get The Boot" collection was done by a fan, just a poor old sod that happened to have received these tracks somewhere WAY down the food chain, back in 2004. This fan was a bit OCD, and inclined toward putting together pretty packages for himself, and he proceeded to organize and make cover art for the various rarities in his collection. Those compilations included Get The Boot, Psychedelic Sounds, Secret SMiLE, Sea of Tunes Source Tape, and two Heroes And Villains compilations. At first, said fan kept these goodies to himself, which was his intention all along, but after a few months he decided to share them with a few people he thought he could trust. Well, from there it snowballed out of control, and all of a sudden the fan started seeing his cover art appear on public websites, and people started discussing the material openly. The fan gasped. How did this happen? The fan never did figure that out.

That unfortunate fan was me.

Brother, Inc. went ballistic. People got very angry, especially about Get The Boot. There was particular aversion to seeing Battle Hymn of the Republic available for public consumption. Lawyers ponied up and everything. My memory is a bit hazy now, but somehow I got in contact with Alan Boyd, or he got in contact with me, I can't remember exactly how. But I remember 'fessing up. I raised my hand, and said "it was me." I spent a while with Alan on the phone about it. I think he was under the gun about it, and the PTB were looking for someone to blame. Even though I played ZERO part in leaking these tracks in the first place, and even though I had no idea how the material ended up getting so widely distributed, it was my cover art and my track sequences out there for everyone to see. So I fell on my sword for the whole ordeal. I was basically being given a cease and desist order, which is exactly what I did. I purged the material off of my hard drive and sent everything back to Alan. I "burned the tapes" basically. To this day I could not recreate those CDs, even if I wanted to. So don't ask.

Since that day I have never shared anything Beach Boys-related with ANYONE, no matter what the situation. My collecting days pretty much ended right then and there. I dropped out of the scene completely. It is only now, after hearing the SMiLE announcement, that I have started to dip my toe in the pool again by visiting this message board.

[king of anglia]

You should have encoded at a higher bit rate.

[king of anglia]

Did anyone make any money from those bootlegs? As far as I know, they were mp3 only.

Interesting story anyway. Thanks.

[smile-holland]

That unfortunate fan was me.

If I may add something to your "confession": you were one of many in the chain, albeit an early one. You got it from someone, and months later you forwarded it. With the main thing attracting addition that you made the artwork and track sequence that happened to become THE Beach Boys download to have the next couple of years. Not giving any judgement here (I heard those recordings as well, so strictly speaking I'm part of that same chain). And I can understand you mixed feelings towards these questions and memories. I'm glad though that you've found the joy back of being a Beach Boys fan again

It keeps surprising me how these kind of things can spread so fast (almost exponentially). And keep in mind the fact that a lot of fans - when forwarding the material - asked for discretion. (and we all said "yes" but acted with "not at all"... ah, the (dis)advantages of the anonymous internet movements...)

[hypehat]

You should have encoded at a higher bit rate.

Absolutely champion first response 

[Andrew G. Doe]

I spent a while with Alan on the phone about it. I think he was under the gun about it, and the PTB were looking for someone to blame.

Under the gun ? He nearly lost his job and his reputation. I know you didn't steal the tracks from his house, but you put them into general circulation, and having attended the 2003 convention you must have had a very good idea as to the original source. That was a despicable act. Despicable.

[Catbirdman]

I spent a while with Alan on the phone about it. I think he was under the gun about it, and the PTB were looking for someone to blame.

Under the gun ? He nearly lost his job and his reputation. I know you didn't steal the tracks from his house, but you put them into general circulation, and having attended the 2003 convention you must have had a very good idea as to the original source. That was a despicable act. Despicable.

Again, *I* didn't put the tracks into general circulation as you claim above. I gave CDs to 5 people. That is the extent of what I did. It was a mistake. I thought I could trust those people. They probably did the same thing I did - gave it to 5 more people they thought they could trust. I'm sure the BIG leak happened way down the chain from me.

But it was my artwork, my "brand" as it were, that got leaked. And people need someone to blame. I get it.

I've rued this whole miserable situation for years now. I felt HORRIBLE then. And now I'm feeling it again. You use the word "despicable." That hurts a lot; I am not/do not ever want to be that kind of person.

I am very sorry for how my actions led to trouble for Alan. If I had known what would happen...

But it happened. I am so sorry.

[Jonas]

You should have encoded at a higher bit rate.

Absolutely champion first response