SMiLE Mystery

[Shady]

This is CSI: Smiley Smile.

Impressive

[The Heartical Don]

For this person, the best SMiLE joke was a small one. At one point, I think around 2001, Brian was featured in MOJO. I think Sylvie Simmons did the article. His home was portrayed with a photo. On a table was some CD box, it looked like a triple set IIRC. And it looked like something still waiting to be finalized. On it was scribbled with felt marker: 'The Smile Sessions'. Not much, or nothing at all was made of it in the text.

I dearly loved it, because it was so unremarkable - precisely for this reason quite a few people believed that it was for real.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Anyone here with the 2nd edition of David Leaf's book, turn to page 188: it's not exactly a good one, but that's a picture of genuine BB tape boxes, complete with index codes.

[WaxOn]

Yikes!

My bad.

When I was looking at this post last nigh the OP photo with "roach-clips" was reading as a broken link - so I downloaded a picture from a poster's link.

Most of the things I pointed out are NOT in the OP's photo, so yes - somebody just removed the type. The discrepancies I now see are probably just from the type being moved after the fact.

I'll go eat worms now.

[junkbondtrader]

Even if they are fake it is still somewhat fun and optimistic to think there might be a .1 chance of these being real. If you dont want to join in the investigation then fine, but why come into the thread and say so? Just stay out or lurk and you will get the same results.

[Jonas]

Yup; it's 'his photo' in that he had it put online, but he didn't take it, just received it.  Geesh.  You'd think people would read.   

The "quote" function on these boards is handy for situations like this.

Thank you father; I'll try to do better next time.  Kiss my ass. 

Oh come on, I was backing up what you said about reading the stuff with humor! Take it easy.

I always take it easy, but there's so many smarmy buttholes on elitist websites like this, normal people like me have to have our guns drawn. 

This used to not be an elitist website, until the Smile Sessions box was announced....

yeah right. I can show you responses from a few certain members in the last year that will come off as pompous.

[drbeachboy]

Hey, we all ride on a high horse sometimes, but Jonas, that is what you are here for; to knock us down a peg and keep things moving along.

[monkee knutz]

The format of the tapes supposedly in those boxes is the question - if they're multitracks they wouldn't be that size, and if they're dubs the type of tape is the question as well.

And that's a huge question.
There are definitely multi-track tape boxes pictured here, and that tells me they contain more tracks than 2 tracks. Which eludes to- they are more than a 2 track mixdown master.

[DonnyL]

the tape boxes are ALL Scotch brand, the Scotch logo dates prior to the mid-'70s, when the switched the logo/box design.  these are most certainly some kind of safety copies of 2-track mixdowns, at 15 ips on 10.5" 1/4" tapes.  They were put together in a group; they are not ORIGINAL tapes, they are copies, but clearly studio copies. original tapes would look sloppy, not be uniform and be on different brands, etc.  These are not consumer tapes, most consumer units prior to the mid/late-70s did not use 10.5" reels.  this is studio stuff.  as to the consumer-grade tapes to the left, there are plenty of reasons why a studio would have some regular tapes lying around.  in fact, they often made 7", 7.5 ips copies of studio tapes to listen to outside of the studio on consumer reels.  reels of tape were/are not cheap, regular old people do not buy boxes of tape in bulk to create an elaborate hoax.  the hoax really could not feasibly be created later than the mid-'70s because if you bought a bunch of scotch tape, the logo and boxed would be different.  yes, tapes should be stored in a temperature-controlled environment, and important tapes usually are.

my theory based on all info available and my own knowledge of vintage tapes:  someone had access to the beach boys tape archives (Brother and Capitol, apparently), made safety copies of all of the released albums and some extra stuff too, and collected and organized them.  i would guess 1973 was the year, since "SUMMER CONCERT" was probably the "In Concert" album in progress.

[Andrew G. Doe]

reels of tape were/are not cheap, regular old people do not buy boxes of tape in bulk to create an elaborate hoax.  

You're assuming there's anything in the boxes.  

my theory based on all info available and my own knowledge of vintage tapes:  someone had access to the beach boys tape archives (Brother and Capitol, apparently), made safety copies of all of the released albums and some extra stuff too, and collected and organized them.  i would guess 1973 was the year, since "SUMMER CONCERT" was probably the "In Concert" album in progress.

To do that, this same person would have to have access to some kind of copying facility, unless they managed to do it in-house, so to speak.  Brother in 1973 wasn't open for commercial use, so it would have to be an inside job.

[adamghost]

I can think of a million reasons why this wouldn't be relevant (it really doesn't explain a damn thing and doesn't create any kind of chain of custody), and so I am hesitant to post this, but didn't Brian record in Iowa in '73?  Iowa's next door to Minnesota....

[hypehat]

And carries his mastertapes with him? 

The 'genuine' vault photo looks much more claustrophobic than this, doesn't it? And the name plaque speaks volumes. Loving (if somewhat deranged) fakery, in my honest opinion.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

If it were just familiar album titles I’d accept the deranged fan theory, but there are unique things here that only an insider would know to include.
 
We need to start thinking on a different level like the BRI does…white is black and black is white…

Maybe Mike Love is exactly what he says he is… a patsy.

[Blake Alan]

I can think of a million reasons why this wouldn't be relevant (it really doesn't explain a damn thing and doesn't create any kind of chain of custody), and so I am hesitant to post this, but didn't Brian record in Iowa in '73?  Iowa's next door to Minnesota....

I hate to add more fuel to the speculation fire, but since you brought up Iowa, I thought I'd throw this out there. I googled this Paul Bramsen Sr guy from St. Paul, and it appears he's 63, putting him in his mid twenties around '74. He's lived in Minnesota his whole life except for a stint at Drake University, located in (cue dramatic music)... Des Moines, Iowa. That said, it's probably just a coincidence since he likely would have graduated well before Brian was in the neighborhood circa '73, but it's still interesting.

I should also mention that it doesn't look like this guy has any professional experience in the music industry, or anything related, for that matter. Jay, have you heard anything back from Mr. Bramsen Sr. yet?

[GuyOnTheBeach]

Is it possible in anyway that this could have been taken in the Caribou Ranch Studio ?, There are lots of reasons why it couldn't/shouldn't be (Tapes from earlier albums being a biggie) but to my knowledge, the band were using this studio around the time of the photo, could some dubs have been housed there or something for some reason ?

Then again, Caribou wasn't exactly some small obscure studio, I'm sure somebody would recognise the vault or the names there.

[Steve Mayo]

i don't think the items in the photo are real. in 72, 73 or 74 hardly anything beach boy related was booted or traded. and i will admit this, the person i was back in 72, 73 or 74 would have done  almost anything to get my hands on this material if it was valuable. and i'm sure there would be a long line of people with the same thought in front of me. no way would i label boxes and show photos of this stuff if it was for real and i wanted to keep it.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

How about the hand writing? Any other instances of "arrow t's" in the Beach Boys library?

[Custom Machine]

Ed -

Do you still have the original Polaroid?  It would be helpful to see a high res scan of the original photo, without the Roachclips logo.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I hate to add more fuel to the speculation fire, but since you brought up Iowa, I thought I'd throw this out there. I googled this Paul Bramsen Sr guy from St. Paul, and it appears he's 63, putting him in his mid twenties around '74. He's lived in Minnesota his whole life except for a stint at Drake University, located in (cue dramatic music)... Des Moines, Iowa. That said, it's probably just a coincidence since he likely would have graduated well before Brian was in the neighborhood circa '73, but it's still interesting.

The studio that Brian recorded at in Iowa was in Otho, outside Ft. Dodge, over 50 miles from Des Moines.

[bgas]

These are not consumer tapes, most consumer units prior to the mid/late-70s did not use 10.5" reels.  this is studio stuff.  as to the consumer-grade tapes to the left, there are plenty of reasons why a studio would have some regular tapes lying around.  in fact, they often made 7", 7.5 ips copies of studio tapes to listen to outside of the studio on consumer reels. 

Small point here:  The tape boxes to the left are not simply 7.5 inch reels of tapes; rather, they are Pre=recorded Factory labeled tapes. The kind that would have a BBs album upon them to listen to.

[onkster]

I went to the Otho studio once--what a cool place! The owner, Kirk Kaufman, told me about having to coax Brian out of his bed at the Ft. Dodge Holiday Inn to come and record. "I think he was horny to be near his wife," he said.

I kinda got the impression the whole Otho thing may have sprung from connections made during MIU. Does that fit the timeline, AGD?

Side note: I sure don't consider this an elitist board--I find it very friendly and gentlemanly. If you want an elitist, fanboyish board, become a Beatle fan and look for something in the 900's! 8^)

[Andrew G. Doe]

I went to the Otho studio once--what a cool place! The owner, Kirk Kaufman, told me about having to coax Brian out of his bed at the Ft. Dodge Holiday Inn to come and record. "I think he was horny to be near his wife," he said.

I kinda got the impression the whole Otho thing may have sprung from connections made during MIU. Does that fit the timeline, AGD?

No - Otho was either December 1972 or January 1973 (Brian, Sandler & Spring were among the first to use the studio), whereas the MIU sessions were November/December 1977 in Fairfield, clear across the state.

[onkster]

Wow. I wonder how that connection got made then. Kirk did tell me that somebody from the Beach Boys camp--never heard who--did the string arrangement on Kirk's group's single "Sister Jane", which I just love the hell out of. (The group: Westminist'r--at one point the namesake of said studio. Now it's called Junior's Motel.)

[doc smiley]

If nothing else, this mystery is giving everyone something to talk about while we wait for more news on the "Smile Sessions release" 

[Jonas]

If nothing else, this mystery is giving everyone something to talk about while we wait for more news on the "Smile Sessions release" 

Probably the picture's intention all along...