Soulful Old Man Sunshine

[filledeplage]

"Cheesy" and "Oddball"  , I don't get these descriptions.

We're not talking about Kokomo are we? 

I didn't quote the "cheesy" but "oddball" in the context of "out-of-the-blue" hit, and absolutely no pejorative context. 

The vocals and energy are superb, and the orchestral/instrumentation backup. 

Of course, my opinion. 

[SMiLE-addict]

Wow, I'd never heard this song before, but just checked it out on Youtube. A shame it was never released at that time!

But I think it would have sounded better on 20/20 than Sunflower, though I release it was too late for 20/20.

[hypehat]

Ah man, it's too good. I wouldn't have it produced any other way. There's a reason why it was my first choice of things to cover in the collaboration project (but I did produce it in 'ANOTHER WAY') - it's such a wonderful tune! Maybe a retread of fun & sun in the title, but it has such verve and joy in it - 'No wonder I can sing a song about my baby' is such a sentiment - but goddamnit, you can analyse whether the arrangement is too jazzy (and what the f*** is wrong with a bit of jazz, I ask you) but it just makes me feel so good, I can brush aside such handwringing. If you don't like it, play it louder.

[Mr. Cohen]

Sure, it's oddball. Who expects the Beach Boys to do swingin' jazz music in 1969? And it's cheesy in comparison to the image the Beach Boys were going for. SO THERE, YOU GUYS!!!

[Gertie J.]

If you don't like it, play it louder.

i did, the song doesn't do it for me nonetheless.

[Micha]

I think Brian's demo of the song is great but the completed version is only okay. Just think of the song done Wild Honey style -- I think that sort of white-boy R&B thing is where Brian might've taken it based on his more interesting phrasing.

That's an interesting point of view diametrically opposed to my own. I always thought how much better the Wild Honey album would be if it sounded like Soulful Old Man Sunshine...

[filledeplage]

I think Brian's demo of the song is great but the completed version is only okay. Just think of the song done Wild Honey style -- I think that sort of white-boy R&B thing is where Brian might've taken it based on his more interesting phrasing.

That's an interesting point of view diametrically opposed to my own.

I always thought how much better the Wild Honey album would be if it sounded like Soulful Old Man Sunshine...

A sacrilege!  Wild Honey is just perfect as it is! 

[Quzi]

Sometimes I think Wild Honey is perfect, but then I listen to the London '68 performance of Aren't You Glad and can't help but feel a little short changed.

[Micha]

Sometimes I think Wild Honey is perfect, but then I listen to the London '68 performance of Aren't You Glad and can't help but feel a little short changed.

Yes!!! That is when I started to feel the Wild Honey album sounds bad, when I heard that live version. There is absolutely no punch in the chorus of the studio version, and the great arrangement is a bit wasted. They should have done the tracks in a real studio and play and record the songs live threre. Of course that wasn't possible due to Brian's problems, you can't blame him really.

[Sam_BFC]

The London '68 version of Aren't You Glad definitely helped my appreciation of the Wild Honey version.

[Quzi]

Sometimes I think Wild Honey is perfect, but then I listen to the London '68 performance of Aren't You Glad and can't help but feel a little short changed.

Yes!!! That is when I started to feel the Wild Honey album sounds bad, when I heard that live version. There is absolutely no punch in the chorus of the studio version, and the great arrangement is a bit wasted. They should have done the tracks in a real studio and play and record the songs live threre. Of course that wasn't possible due to Brian's problems, you can't blame him really.

A bit of that lack of punch in the chorus has to do with the muddy mix methinks. I'd love to hear this in stereo, hopefully it isn't in the batch of Wild Honey songs unable to be mixed to stereo.

[Stephen W. Desper]

COMMENT:
Every time we worked on SOMS, instrumental sweetening or vocal placement, there was a lack of enthusiasm. I can't describe to you how it was except to say that we recorded vocals and other stuff for so many hours and never got to the end. With Brian removing his involvement and other songs more important to the other guys, this song just kept being pushed further down in the stack.  I have recorded so many odd versions or renditions -- experiments in vocal arrangements -- with this song, it finally seemed to come together at the end, but as I said, other songs were deemed more important for release. It was mixed several times . . . always with someone coming up with a "new" idea to add, thus making the mix obsolete. However there was a final mix done, but I don't know if that was what was released to the public or not. ~SWD

[LeeDempsey]

COMMENT:
Every time we worked on SOMS, instrumental sweetening or vocal placement, there was a lack of enthusiasm. I can't describe to you how it was except to say that we recorded vocals and other stuff for so many hours and never got to the end. With Brian removing his involvement and other songs more important to the other guys, this song just kept being pushed further down in the stack.  I have recorded so many odd versions or renditions -- experiments in vocal arrangements -- with this song, it finally seemed to come together at the end, but as I said, other songs were deemed more important for release. It was mixed several times . . . always with someone coming up with a "new" idea to add, thus making the mix obsolete. However there was a final mix done, but I don't know if that was what was released to the public or not. ~SWD

Very interesting Steve...  The "released" version is a cobbling together of various work tapes by Rick Henn and Darryl Dragon, done the old-fashioned way by razor blade and splicing tape.  It even switches back and forth from stereo to mono between verses and chorus, because those were the only rough mixes available to Rick at the time it was put together. It excites me that there might be a proper mix somewhere in the vaults.

Lee

[Awesoman]

and then, there is 'The Spirit of Rock and Roll'


.....another 'could have happened, but didnt'. 

Meh...can't say I'd agree with that.  "Spirit" was a so-so song; pretty lightweight and forgettable ultimately.  The only remarkable thing about it was that Bob Dylan sings on the unreleased Sweet Insanity version. 

[Awesoman]

That, and Spirit of Rock & Roll is really bad.

Eh, I don't think it's that bad.  I love the re-recording Brian did for the Hallmark album.  The song itself is pretty good, I hate the "Sweet Insanity" version though even that's better than most of the material on the '85 "comeback" album and any of the new material on "Still Cruisin.'"

I found the Hallmark version to be the epitome of dreadful; lazy vocal multitracking and a totally clueless drum beat. 

[runnersdialzero]

COMMENT:
Every time we worked on SOMS, instrumental sweetening or vocal placement, there was a lack of enthusiasm. I can't describe to you how it was except to say that we recorded vocals and other stuff for so many hours and never got to the end. With Brian removing his involvement and other songs more important to the other guys, this song just kept being pushed further down in the stack.  I have recorded so many odd versions or renditions -- experiments in vocal arrangements -- with this song, it finally seemed to come together at the end, but as I said, other songs were deemed more important for release. It was mixed several times . . . always with someone coming up with a "new" idea to add, thus making the mix obsolete. However there was a final mix done, but I don't know if that was what was released to the public or not. ~SWD

The lack of enthusiasm seems odd. I started to wonder if the enthusiasm was lacking due to a lot of the song being the work of an outsider, but then they worked on "Seasons In The Sun" about the same time.

So yeah, seems odd, as well as the fact that they never finished it. Maybe they just got exhausted and overwhelmed by it ala Smile? It's such a cool song, it came up on random for me just yesterday and there's just this sense of "Wow - this is so, so solid and should've been pushed to the moon as a single" whenever I listen to it after a while of not hearing it. I don't get it.

Thanks for the insight, Mr.Desper.

"Cheesy" and "Oddball"  , I don't get these descriptions.

I didn't for the longest time, either. I don't normally bother with listening to the Beach Boys around my girlfriend as I know that, aside from a few songs, she's not a fan. One time this song came on while we were doing other stuff and I decided to let it go and see if she'd say anything. After about a minute she was like, "Is this the Beach Boys?", I said yeah, she said, "Sounds kinda... loungey." I got what she meant and yeah, it is, thus I can see why some might find it kind of cheesy.

Still, f*** it, the final edit is a fine, fine experience. The "explosion of joy" comment a while back was spot on. I wish the final mix would've been serviced as some kind of single or something with a lot of hype put around it.

[runnersdialzero]

Also, the full Brian demo doesn't circulate, does it? I'm definitely interested in hearing that, even if what we heard was just the most cohesive part of it and it's kind of a rambling writing session sort of thing.

[filledeplage]

Wow, I'd never heard this song before, but just checked it out on Youtube. A shame it was never released at that time!

But I think it would have sounded better on 20/20 than Sunflower, though I release it was too late for 20/20.

It almost has a retro "big-band" feel...I find it the coolest "cobbled" song I ever heard! 

[SMiLE-addict]

^
Actually, it sounds very Motown-y, maybe like "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes. Or something. But the refrain and melodies definitely make it distinctive. If they had released this I think most people on first hearing it, would have immediately recognized it as the Beach Boys, but might have been surprised they'd do a song like that.

[sockittome]

I believe that at the time, the general public might have seen it as a move forward for the BBs.  The song does have a potentially commercial sound.....in a 1969 sort of way.

[Ron]

I think Brian's demo of the song is great.

Just played that demo - thanks for reminding it - & I think I hear what you mean: Brian's vocals sound more relaxed & authentic, there's sth. in his effortless way of singing. Plus, I like final "Soulful old man sunshine" (i.e. C-->A flat-->B flat-->A flat-->C-->A flat) here better than in the finished version. That being said, the latter is a great jovial composition with cool jazz leads from Carl.

I agree... while of course Carl's version is awesome, Brian's version of the demo actually has the soul he's singing about.  I mean it really swings.  Carl made it a little too white.  I can say that, and it's not racist, because I'm white too.