gfxgfx
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
logo
 
gfx gfx
gfx
680599 Posts in 27601 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 29, 2024, 02:06:34 AM
*
gfx*HomeHelpSearchCalendarLoginRegistergfx
gfxgfx
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.       « previous next »
Pages: 1 [2] Go Down Print
Author Topic: Surfs Up Coda - Brian's Involvement  (Read 12570 times)
XXXCD
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 47


View Profile
« Reply #25 on: January 02, 2012, 01:59:23 PM »

So the track "I Love to Say Dada" is a song about a baby !  That makes a lot of sense actually. Never heard that said before- has this been known about for a long time ?

I can only assume that this was a track written during the Smile sessions but not necessarily for use on the Smile album ?

People in the know should really explain everything they can remember. It's musical history and will be lost forever unless it is written down somehow. Now is the time.

« Last Edit: January 02, 2012, 02:00:35 PM by lunarjetman » Logged
Stephen W. Desper
Honored Guest
******
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 1365


Maintain Dynamics - Keep Peaks below 100%


View Profile WWW
« Reply #26 on: January 03, 2012, 02:32:52 AM »

COMMENT:  So let me clear a few things up.   Apart from what other sources say, all I know is what transpired when I was there, and was part of the recording and production of CCW.  So here's the story as I recall, and I have good recall of this. It was an “intense” time in my life. The memory’s are deep.

When I came on the scene, Brian had already worked out many vocal parts of CCW, or a general outline of the song. That is when I started working on the water-drop mod of the Eltron. Meanwhile Carl had the wisdom of transcribing (to paper) all the parts. Time passed and this song was set aside.  Then a basic session was called, but not much was actually recorded. After all, what is the instrumentation in CCW. Not much!  A piano basically. So with the piano as a guide, and sheet music to follow, this master multi-track tape was worked on once in a while. A vocal part added, now and then. Instruments, less often. 

At this time, Brian was spending most of his time in his Bedroom. He even ate there. He would go out very late at night sometimes. One of his friends (who will remain nameles at this time), was providing Brian with the means to take drug after drug -- at the same time. Brian was in, way over his head. It was a bad thing, and out of control. 

Nevertheless, The Beach Boys were under contract to make an album and had taken advances against royalties of that pending album. Brian or not, the album had to get recorded. Carl stepped up to the task and did what he could – which turned out to be quite an excellent job. Carl worked with what he had. One thing to which he had access were all the smile tapes. One day he showed up at the house studio with boxes of them. Carl and I listened to everything many times. Carl decided that the Dada session of baby sounds set to music was something that could be worked into what was forming into a song that used Brian’s original tune, and some previous segments we recorded from time to time.

Brian was not around. He was asleep in his bedroom. He was depressed. He was despondent. He was overweight. He was drugged up. He was a mess. From time to time Carl would try to converse with him about what was being recorded in the studio below his bedroom. He could hear it all through the floor, but still would not get involved. He let Carl do it. OR RATHER, Carl became the leader while Brian was out to lunch.

Meanwhile, Carl had a manuscript and some tracks to work with. Slowly the song took shape. Everyone contributed to every song on “Sunflower,” as I said in my book. When I say that Brian was not involved in CCW, I mean he was not involved with the construction or production. Once in a while he would get a moment of clarity and sing or play; the Moog in CCW. But for the most part it was Carl who made the song into something. Carl is the hero here. And I will tell you that Carl, along with his engineer, created the structure and sonic features that bring this creation of Brian’s to its unique and entertaining life, centered around the vocal arranging and singing genius that is the Beach Boys – all six of them.

I made a reverse copy of the Dada section (as we called it) onto four tracks of the multi-track. A reverse copy has less distortion. More tracks were delayed and mixed in at the time of mixdown. I suggested a wave, a Tsunami wave that would be very dimensional and powerful at times. Eventually it became Moog keyboard controlled.

Everyone contributed. Under Carl’s watch the song took shape, as time allowed.

The rest is in the listening,


Good Listening, ~Stephen W. Desper
Logged
Jonas
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 1923


I've got the Beach Boys, my friends got the Stones


View Profile
« Reply #27 on: January 03, 2012, 02:53:12 AM »

Incredible, thank you Stephen!
Logged

We would like to record under an atmosphere of calmness. - Brian Wilson
--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1IgXT3xFdU
phirnis
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 2594



View Profile
« Reply #28 on: January 03, 2012, 03:40:02 AM »

Very fascinating account, thanks for sharing!

Is there a song on Sunflower that Brian did actually have a lot to do with in terms of overall construction and production?

Carl obviously did an astonishing job on "CCW", I never knew he was the driving force behind that. Great to have some more clarity as to who did what in the studio! Sound-wise, this is probably my favorite song on Sunflower.
Logged
Big Bri
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 210


View Profile
« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2012, 03:59:58 AM »

Glad to see you back Stephen! Happy New Year too you as well.
I'm looking forward to the  release of the 2nd edition of your book as I missed out on the 1st run.

I'm sure everyone on here would love to have your thoughts and opinions on the  release of "The SMiLE Sessions"?
Have you heard it? etc.

Thanks Stephen!
Logged
metal flake paint
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 1376


This harmony kick


View Profile
« Reply #30 on: January 03, 2012, 01:03:38 PM »

Stephen, thank you for sharing your memories. Thumbs Up
Logged

"Quit screaming and start singing from your hearts, huh?" Murry Wilson, March 1965.
puni puni
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 885


View Profile
« Reply #31 on: January 03, 2012, 03:18:55 PM »

Carl decided that the Dada session of baby sounds set to music was something that could be worked into what was forming into a song that used Brian’s original tune, and some previous segments we recorded from time to time.
but cool cool water uses the same chords as dada, so it seems like they both always had something to do with "baby sounds". in baby sounds, it sounds like they're saying "water water waah-teer". no matter how hard i try, i can't hear "wah-doo".

i always thought that what happened was he wrote dada, wanted to make it a song about babies, then quickly changed it to a song about water
then, he wrote child is the father of the man based around an idea from dada (or vice versa?), and dada changed into cool cool water.

isn't this timeline correct?
Logged
Stephen W. Desper
Honored Guest
******
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 1365


Maintain Dynamics - Keep Peaks below 100%


View Profile WWW
« Reply #32 on: January 03, 2012, 05:50:07 PM »

Carl decided that the Dada session of baby sounds set to music was something that could be worked into what was forming into a song that used Brian’s original tune, and some previous segments we recorded from time to time.
but cool cool water uses the same chords as dada, so it seems like they both always had something to do with "baby sounds". in baby sounds, it sounds like they're saying "water water waah-teer". no matter how hard i try, i can't hear "wah-doo".

i always thought that what happened was he wrote dada, wanted to make it a song about babies, then quickly changed it to a song about water
then, he wrote child is the father of the man based around an idea from dada (or vice versa?), and dada changed into cool cool water.

isn't this timeline correct?

COMMENT:  I really don't know. I just record the stuff.
~swd
Logged
puni puni
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 885


View Profile
« Reply #33 on: January 03, 2012, 10:40:00 PM »

oops

i'll call brian up on the phone and ask him then
Logged
Dove Nested Towers
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 877

Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!


View Profile
« Reply #34 on: January 03, 2012, 11:37:12 PM »

Hello Stephen, thank you for your vividly detailed (depressing re: Brian, but truthful) account of the atmosphere during the recording of "Sunflower" and fascinating revelation about the genesis of the Water Chant, or unfinished baby song, later turned into the middle of CCW, with water effects added. I'm consequently slightly confused about the name "Love to Say Da Da" as it applies to both or either the piece of music by that name, re-made as "In Blue Hawaii" on Brian's 2004 version of SMiLE, and the entirely wordless piece inserted into the middle of CCW circa 1970. Inasmuch as I remember, you were not on the scene yet in '66-'67 so you may not know this, but were those two pieces both linked together as parts of the unfinished song about babies? I imagine they were. Finally that title makes sense, instead of being incongruous (although somehow still fitting) as the title of a piece ostensibly part of a proposed "Elements Suite" as the water section. That is a fascinating nugget of info, thank you for this valuable contribution to SMiLE archaeology (though you may have covered it in "Recording the Beach Boys" which I haven't read) and any further info you may have on the "song about babies" that Brian may have shared with you, during the period of its original genesis, would be welcome. Off- topic, any progress in your efforts to get the Flame's 2nd album released? Thank you for your participation here.
Logged

"The police aren't there to create disorder,
they're there to preserve disorder!" -Mayor
Daly, Chicago 1968
gfx
Pages: 1 [2] Go Up Print 
gfx
Jump to:  
gfx
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines Page created in 0.654 seconds with 22 queries.
Helios Multi design by Bloc
gfx
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!