Would you rather ... Smile Sessions!

[bgas]

So basically what you are saying is they are the equivalent of the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.S. in the Harry Potter books? 

I read the first Harry Potter book: thankfully, I have managed to expunge every trace of it from my memory.

So you didn't have to take the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.S, then?

Dunno about your hamlet, but bestiality's illegal over here.

Only if you're caught red- handed

[Andrew G. Doe]

So basically what you are saying is they are the equivalent of the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.S. in the Harry Potter books? 

I read the first Harry Potter book: thankfully, I have managed to expunge every trace of it from my memory.

So you didn't have to take the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.S, then?

Dunno about your hamlet, but bestiality's illegal over here.

Only if you're caught red- handed

Have to be a basenji, then.

[Dan Lega]

You know, that's something I've often wondered. Stephen Desper described the situation as it happened in 1971: "About thirty minutes into the mix, Brian ... came bursting into the studio ... excitedly proclaiming that we should stop the mix and add just 'one more part' to the ending." The famous tag vocals were then "added postscript, and doubled at the last minute, as if always in his mind from conception, but heretofore forgotten, or perhaps suppressed." (emphasis mine)

While it's all conjecture on Stephen Desper's part, it does seem like an obvious question: was this a spur of the moment Brian idea or was it something he had tucked away since 1966? I wish someone would ask him, if they haven't already. Then again, his answer would probably just add more confusion to the matter.

Maybe they were actually part of the lyrics to Child is the Father of the Man?  Hence them not being sung or mentioned during the Surf's up demo, and then, when Brian realizes that Carl Wilson has adapted a second smile song for the outro of surf's up, he thinks to himself: well, might as well use the proper lyrics! 

The lyrics "A children's song, and we listen as they play, their song is love, and the children know the way," were written by Jack Rieley -- at that time.  However, I'm one to believe Brian always had that melody line in his head from the time of the SMiLE sessions.

Love and merci,   Dan Lega

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I'm very hazy on this SU Part 1, 2, 3 thing.

In my mind, Part 1 was the instrumental intro we all heart on the first VIGOTONE Smile boot.  No vocals, just the 'stormy horns' ,  plucking strings, etc.

Part 2 was the Brian vocal.

Part 3 was added later - the CITFOM part Brian finally added years later on the Carl version.

Is there evidence of something different?

it's been theorised for decades that, as the track for the first section is logged as "Part 1", there must be an equally ornate "Part 2", despite the absence of any documentation. At least two fans have claimed to have heard of this "Part 2" from someone who's heard it. Maybe the box will resolve this, maybe it won't, but this I will predict: if you think the conjecture thus far has been bad enough, what's going to explode once we actually get a tracklisting to pick over is almost unimaginable.

This is fairly unusual as far as the SMiLE recordings go. All of the other major songs had full backing tracks recorded (as far as we can tell), but "Surf's Up" only has a backing track for the first two verses. Reportedly, when Darian asked Brian in '03 what the backing track was supposed to be for the middle section of the song, Brian replied something to the effect of "There would have been a string arrangement on there". Now was this just in Brian's head or was something like this actually recorded in '66/'67? It appears that the band did not have access to any such session in '71 when the track was finally completed, so I doubt the "Part 2" was ever recorded (or, perhaps, Brian junked it shortly after recording). As it stands, I think Paul Mertens' string arrangement on the BWPS version is a very nice addition.

I've said this elsewhere but I will repeat it here. It is absurdly unusual that Brian didn't record music to the "Dove nested towers" section of Surf's Up (I'm calling it that because there seems to be a lot of confusion that comes up by calling it Surf's Up Pt. 2). This was a particularly creative period for Brian - part of what stalled Smile initially, I think, is that there were too many ideas for it, which is bound to happen when you want to achieve an unattainable perfection (and, this, ultimately is what I believe led to the big downfall of the album). Furthermore, it seems that by this time, Brian had a pretty good idea of what the final product would sound like when he wrote the song. If you listen to that "demo" of H&V/IIGS/Barnyard, he seems totally on top of what those songs would sound like (right down to THE ANIMALS!). Of course, I have nothing to say that such a recording exists, it is so strange that it borders on impossible that it doesn't.

[Micha]

I'd like a bonus disc with a vocals-only version of BWPS. 

[hypehat]

You know, that's something I've often wondered. Stephen Desper described the situation as it happened in 1971: "About thirty minutes into the mix, Brian ... came bursting into the studio ... excitedly proclaiming that we should stop the mix and add just 'one more part' to the ending." The famous tag vocals were then "added postscript, and doubled at the last minute, as if always in his mind from conception, but heretofore forgotten, or perhaps suppressed." (emphasis mine)

While it's all conjecture on Stephen Desper's part, it does seem like an obvious question: was this a spur of the moment Brian idea or was it something he had tucked away since 1966? I wish someone would ask him, if they haven't already. Then again, his answer would probably just add more confusion to the matter.

Maybe they were actually part of the lyrics to Child is the Father of the Man?  Hence them not being sung or mentioned during the Surf's up demo, and then, when Brian realizes that Carl Wilson has adapted a second smile song for the outro of surf's up, he thinks to himself: well, might as well use the proper lyrics! 

The lyrics "A children's song, and we listen as they play, their song is love, and the children know the way," were written by Jack Rieley -- at that time.  However, I'm one to believe Brian always had that melody line in his head from the time of the SMiLE sessions.

Love and merci,   Dan Lega

Consult the credits of the nearest CD with Surf's Up on it and try that again 

[Sam_BFC]

Credits are not always an indication of who contributed what.

[hypehat]

And, Van Dyke has fessed up to Smile era lyrics that aren't his.... HGS, for instance.

[Andrew G. Doe]

You know, that's something I've often wondered. Stephen Desper described the situation as it happened in 1971: "About thirty minutes into the mix, Brian ... came bursting into the studio ... excitedly proclaiming that we should stop the mix and add just 'one more part' to the ending." The famous tag vocals were then "added postscript, and doubled at the last minute, as if always in his mind from conception, but heretofore forgotten, or perhaps suppressed." (emphasis mine)

While it's all conjecture on Stephen Desper's part, it does seem like an obvious question: was this a spur of the moment Brian idea or was it something he had tucked away since 1966? I wish someone would ask him, if they haven't already. Then again, his answer would probably just add more confusion to the matter.

Maybe they were actually part of the lyrics to Child is the Father of the Man?  Hence them not being sung or mentioned during the Surf's up demo, and then, when Brian realizes that Carl Wilson has adapted a second smile song for the outro of surf's up, he thinks to himself: well, might as well use the proper lyrics! 

The lyrics "A children's song, and we listen as they play, their song is love, and the children know the way," were written by Jack Rieley -- at that time.  However, I'm one to believe Brian always had that melody line in his head from the time of the SMiLE sessions.

Love and merci,   Dan Lega

Consult the credits of the nearest CD with Surf's Up on it and try that again 

I've seen the lyric sheet Carl sang from: the lines in question are seemingly hastily scribbled on the reverse side in pencil, and in a hand that certainly doesn't belong to anyone called Wilson, Love, Jardine or Johnston. Or Desper, for that matter.

[hypehat]

Didn't know that.... So i wonder why they didn't credit him? Then or since, like on BWPS...

You down there, I could have sworn someone here asked Parks poss. via email and he said they weren't his a few weeks ago. Then again, I have hit the Pimms hard today so my memory may be compromised 

[juggler]

And, Van Dyke has fessed up to Smile era lyrics that aren't his.... HGS, for instance.

HGS = He Gives Speeches?

You're saying that VDP didn't contribute to those lyrics?  Why then was 'She's Goin Bald' credited to Wilson-Love-Parks?  

[Jeff]

And, Van Dyke has fessed up to Smile era lyrics that aren't his.... HGS, for instance.

HGS = He Gives Speeches?

You're saying that VDP didn't contribute to those lyrics?  Why then was 'She's Goin Bald' credited to Wilson-Love-Parks?  

Parks said "not mine" in response to an email years ago from someone on the Smile Shop.  But I think it's highly likely that the lyrics were in fact his.  Who else would have written lyrics like that?  Mike?  Brian?  Tony Asher?  No, no and no.  They have Parks all over them.

[juggler]

And, again, he gets a 3rd place credit on 'She's Goin Bald.'  VDP was long gone from the scene by the time of Smiley Smile, so the only genuinely plausible explanation is that he contributed lyrics to the original version of the song. 

What are the other possibilities?   The credit was some sort of mistake on the part of Sea of Tunes?  The big problem with that, of course, is that Murry's habit was to leave people OFF the credits not to add them on and award them royalties unnecessarily.  VDP wasn't even credited originally on Wonderful (which is obviously his handiwork) and Wind Chimes.  But there's his name on She's Goin' Bald... How does he explain that?!

[bgas]

And, again, he gets a 3rd place credit on 'She's Goin Bald.'  VDP was long gone from the scene by the time of Smiley Smile, so the only genuinely plausible explanation is that he contributed lyrics to the original version of the song. 

What are the other possibilities?   The credit was some sort of mistake on the part of Sea of Tunes?  The big problem with that, of course, is that Murry's habit was to leave people OFF the credits not to add them on and award them royalties unnecessarily.  VDP wasn't even credited originally on Wonderful (which is obviously his handiwork) and Wind Chimes.  But there's his name on She's Goin' Bald... How does he explain that?!

Sleight of hand

[runnersdialzero]

Be quiet, you guys.