Waves Of Love - Let the flames begin

[phirnis]

Said it before and am going to repeat it, Bill and Sue is a modern-day Busy Doin' Nothin'.

[Micha]

Said it before and am going to repeat it, Bill and Sue is a modern-day Busy Doin' Nothin'.

A modern day Vega-Tables rather, in spirit, but unfortunately not in quality.

[STE]

Other than the last three songs, Bill and Sue might be my favorite track on TWGMTR. 

Frankly, it's better than Pacific Coast Highway and Summer's Gone, too. Waves Of Love, on the other hand, is worse than anything on the album except Spring Vacation...

Frankly, we sure won't get a consensus here. Bill&Sue is the very worst they ever did, BASTA!

Worse than Summer Of Love?!

Actually I have to admit that I enjoy "Summer of Love" much more than I "enjoy" TPLOBAS.

[RangeRoverA1]

Why are you sorry ?

Yes, I don't understand if someone feels sorry about liking a certain song just because everybody hates it - that is only a taste matter. Especially when we talk about such a goodie as Waves of Love. There are much worse songs in the BBs catalog. The thread title is incorrect.

When I 1st heard the subject (I refer to the soundcheck version with somewhat muddily-mixed Carl) I absolutely liked it. Hands down one of the finest songs Al had written, also it's one of his strongest performances. On the other hand, Carl sounds terrible. But still, the melody sung by him is beautiful.

Re: adding the song to TWGMTR. Much as I have unfavorites on the new album, I won't trade any track of it with Waves of Love. It must be fresh (2012) & only with voices of surviving bandmates.

2HeyJude: your blog is jolly interesting, definitely shall read the rest. Btw, this is the 4th time when I see Smiley Smiler's musical blog, others being ovi's (former Sail On, Brian), warnakey's (he used to post here) and Mr. Hickey's. Of course, our opinions may differ, but it doesn't stop me from enjoying reading such stuff. Plus, it's really fascinating to know other people's takes on one or another thing.

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

I like Waves of Love, maybe we will get it on Brian's new album as there were pics of Al in the studio with him.

[punkinhead]

I like Waves of Love, maybe we will get it on Brian's new album as there were pics of Al in the studio with him.

I like it too but I don't think all the fans in the world can get Brian to do anything with it. if you read earlier in this topic, you'll see that Brian doesn't want anything to do with it.

All I have to say is at least it was released as a bonus track on Al's album. It's not like some rare song that's in crappy quality on some boot. (Don't get me wrong, I love the song too! it's 10 times better than anything on SIP) If anything, Al could have put it on his album (NOT as a bonus track) and since Brian guested on the album, perhaps that's when he could get Brian to record on it (when Al's in charge!) Now the glove's on the other foot! From what I read, Al was asking Brian to work on it and Brian didn't want anything to do with it.

It would have been nice if this was on TWGMTR

[Micha]

Re: adding the song to TWGMTR. Much as I have unfavorites on the new album, I won't trade any track of it with Waves of Love. It must be fresh (2012) & only with voices of surviving bandmates.

I wouldn't want it on there as it is - the saxophone should be replaced with David's guitar, the other BBs should overdub their voices onto it, and the bridge should have a melodical reworking. Then it would fit just as Daybreak does.

[ontor pertawst]

I read that as "melodica reworking" and thought "hmm, melodica on that would be interesting..."

[Micha]

I read that as "melodica reworking" and thought "hmm, melodica on that would be interesting..."

Well, why not?

[The_Beach]

"Matt Jardine Music
Just got back from Jeff Peters' studio where we did overdubs on Al Jardine's original song "Waves of Love". A rough demo version from '95 is currently on his Postcards CD but this new recording is KILLER!! Mike Kowalski on skins, Ed Carter on bass, Mike Meros on B3, Richie Cannata on baritone sax, Jeff Peters & Randy Mitchel on guitars, Al & Matt Jardine & Carl Wilson on vocals. I'm really excited about this "new" song."


To clarify the difference of the CD version and the Downloadable version! Believe there is a third version on the Japan import version.

1995 demo version on CD https://youtu.be/9BjYc2PKYVw
Downloadable rerecorded version https://youtu.be/0OdPFIpJPms
Japanese Bonus Track version https://youtu.be/dCDtLIskq5s


EDIT added Japenese bonus tack version

[southbay]

No problem with the song.
But hey, we'd be bitching if the TWGMTR included previously-released songs.
Besides, Waves prompts a dilemma: Carl's vocal is un-usable. Erasing it would be blasphemy, but including it would make Carl no justice.

Carl sounds fine - not everything has to be "I Can Hear Music".

Tired and out of synch. Demo quality.

That's because it was a demo

[HeyJude]

That old Matt Jardine facebook post has been mentioned in the past, and I'm not sure it clarifies what was done to which version or what was actually eventually released.

Kowlaksi and Cannta's presence signifies to me that original live soundcheck performance, which is what was on the original CD pressing. That version sounds mostly like a live soundcheck performance, but it clearly does have some overdubs on vocals at the very least.

Apart from re-using Carl's vocal (and doing some digital pitch changes and/or stretching or something to that Carl vocal), I sense that the "other" version (e.g. the "download" version) is an attempt at re-recording the song from scratch more or less. What doesn't seem clear is which version Al *wanted* to release in 2012. It seems as though having the more sparse "soundcheck" version on the CD pressing was the mistake, and I think Al even alluded in some interview to the initial pressings being incorrect.

Yet, the CD credits Kowlaski and the other guys, including Meros. The drums on the two versions are totally different. Did Al have Kowalski come back in years later and record new drums?

[HeyJude]

No problem with the song.
But hey, we'd be bitching if the TWGMTR included previously-released songs.
Besides, Waves prompts a dilemma: Carl's vocal is un-usable. Erasing it would be blasphemy, but including it would make Carl no justice.

Carl sounds fine - not everything has to be "I Can Hear Music".

Tired and out of synch. Demo quality.

That's because it was a demo

Not only that, but it sounds like on the original soundcheck "demo", Carl was singing part of a multi-part harmony.

On the re-recorded "download" version, it sounds like they grabbed Carl's harmony vocal, isolated it, digitally changed the pitch and/or possibly stretched it as best they could to fit a new tempo, and that's why it sounds so weird.

[Micha]

I think the "demo" version is far superior - nicer arrangement, better singing, and without the superfluous Rhonda organ intro. Doesn't sound to me like a demo at all.

[LeeDempsey]

I think the "demo" version is far superior - nicer arrangement, better singing, and without the superfluous Rhonda organ intro. Doesn't sound to me like a demo at all.

I was just about to post the same thing!

FYI apparently there are several mixes of the "demo" version with different overdubs, solos, etc.  Before "A Postcard from California" was even on the works I heard a version that Larry Dvoskin was shopping around.  From my recollection the acoustic guitars were more prominent, the saxophone was tamed down, the instruments didn't drop out during the chorus, and Al carried the chorus by himself with just "oohs" by Carl.  At the time I heard it I remember saying to myself, "Wow, this wouldn't have seemed out of place on "Sunflower..."

Lee

[HeyJude]

To be clear, I don't think either version literally sounds like a "demo" in the sense we usually think of one (e.g. solo voice and guitar with a click track, etc.). It just continues to be confusing to figure out what to call the two (or actually three) versions of the song floating around. We can't even call it the "CD" version, since apparently at some point they may have corrected the CD pressing. So I don't know what else to call it but the "Demo" or "Soundcheck" version. I guess we could call it the "Saxophone" version or something.

The original CD version certainly has the *ambience* of a soundcheck performance, and I suppose if Al was having the touring band cut a *new* song during a soundcheck, he was presumably effectively cutting a demo. It sounds to me like what it apparently actually is: a live soundcheck to which some amount of overdubs were added.
 
Dvoskin mentioned saxophones in an interview at some point, suggesting to me they at some point wanted that "original CD" version to be *the* version. How or why the song got more or less completely re-recorded I don't know, nor can I explain why they were still deciding between the two versions after both were recorded and overdubbed.

At some point, Dvoskin mentioned in an interview something about some of the original tapes being missing. This could potentially explain why they re-recorded it from scratch. But that re-recorded version also flew in Carl's old vocal, so I don't know if they re-cut the song, then after that re-discovered the original tape and flew Carl's vocal back in, and then after that waffled on whether to go back to the original version?

I like both versions. I still think the "download" version (e.g. the non-saxophone version) has more punch and sounds more "commercial." But the CD/soundcheck version sounds more laid back and less strained on Al's part, and Carl's vocal doesn't sound as weird, as it's layered into a vocal stack.

[Micha]

The original CD version certainly has the *ambience* of a soundcheck performance, and I suppose if Al was having the touring band cut a *new* song during a soundcheck, he was presumably effectively cutting a demo. It sounds to me like what it apparently actually is: a live soundcheck to which some amount of overdubs were added.

So that's why it sounds so good! IMHO the "other" version isn't punchier either.

[The_Beach]

Here is the third version of Waves Of Love from the Japanese CD Bonus Track It Is by Far the best version IMO. What do You guys Think???
https://youtu.be/dCDtLIskq5s

Here is the other Japanese CD Bonus Track from the Postcard From California album The Eternal Ballad. That is a great song that should of been on the album to begin with!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxRRZHcj4Uc

[Alan Smith]

Here is the third version of Waves Of Love from the Japanese CD Bonus Track It Is by Far the best version IMO. What do You guys Think???
https://youtu.be/dCDtLIskq5s

Here is the other Japanese CD Bonus Track from the Postcard From California album The Eternal Ballad. That is a great song that should of been on the album to begin with!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxRRZHcj4Uc

Nice one, dude!

I think the Japanese bonus has the best backing track and audio balance of all three.  But for me Al really nailed the singing on the first version, and his now seasoned voice seems to struggle in the slightly higher key.  I agree with other comments that the Carl vox sounds a bit weird in the latter versions.

So I'm goin the "demo" for best - A

[JK]

This ancient communiqué from Larry Dvoskin may be of some interest:

http://beachboysforum.freeforums.org/waves-of-love-the-larry-dvoskin-connection-t875.html?mobile=desktop

[pixletwin]

I permanently added Waves of Love and Soul Searchin' to my digital TWGMTR. Deleting Bill and Sue and beaches In Mind was quite easily done.

[SMiLE Brian]

Nice! Where ya been pixletwin?

[pudge104]

Are any of the other tracks on Postcard different from CD version to download version?  It looks like I have the CD version that has Waves of Love with the sax intro.  I was just going to purchase Waves of Love only from iTunes but if there are any more differences, I'll get the whole thing.

[The_Beach]

Are any of the other tracks on Postcard different from CD version to download version?  It looks like I have the CD version that has Waves of Love with the sax intro.  I was just going to purchase Waves of Love only from iTunes but if there are any more differences, I'll get the whole thing.

Get the Japanese's reissue with four bonus tracks! Its about $20 on ebay its well worth it for those extra tracks