Heroes And Villains released 45 years ago today

[Catbirdman]

Here's the transcript of that 2003 conference call. Scroll down near tthe bottom for the H&V story, what there is of it.

Stephen Desper: What do you remember of the Smile period? A lot of people ask questions, and it seems to be a mystery, and maybe we can get some clues from the source here. You were around during that time, right? [laughter]

Alan Jardine: You mean – you’re not talking about Smiley Smile?

SD: No, not Smiley Smile, the stuff over at Columbia, and Capitol…

AJ: For that stuff, the band never really participated in that, because it never got to a level of vocalizing. Because we had just finished Pet Sounds. Well, no, what am I saying? We were really working Pet Sounds and Smile at the same time. We were doing both of those projects. And, you know, they were like, intermingled together, and I don’t think we really knew what was going where at the time. And then Brian turned the chauffeur’s quarter into an echo chamber! [Al laughs] I remember. And that’s when you [referring to Mr. Desper] came in. Yeah, but the mystery of those tracks [indecipherable] is still interesting, I mean, to me even, because at that time Brian was pretty heavily sedated, and doing a lot of experimental stuff, and I wasn’t part of that, I never really went in for that stuff. The taking drugs and stuff. So I think probably a question like that would be better put to Hal Blaine, or some of the musicians who took part. Now we did vocalize – I should correct myself – we did vocalize on fragments, as we call them. And that was pretty traumatic stuff, because it didn’t really have any continuity. It was more – fragments. Fragmentary, I guess, is a better, the best term. Some of which, however, did make it on an album called 20/20, which was the last project on Capitol.

LATER…

Unidentified audience member: Have you had the opportunity to see Brian and his current touring band?

AJ: No.

UAM: OK, part 2. Um, were you aware that he’s planning on touring Smile next year? And what were your thoughts on that?

AJ: I heard about it, I think it’s crazy. [laughter]

Susan Lang: Well, good crazy or bad crazy, Al?

AJ: Well, not for good, I mean, why, [incredulously] how? I mean, I guess you could play snippets of it. Because it was never assembled, so, I mean, it’s an interesting idea but I think people are pushing Brian too hard. I mean, why in the world would he want to go back and do that, you know? Why not do something a little more progressive? I mean, if he wanted to do that he’d need the band to create… But his handlers, the people that make those decisions, they’ve forgotten origins I think of from whence that stuff came, you know? And it would require a great deal of imagination, I think, to call it a quote “SMiLE Tour” – I mean, that’s ridiculous, and who would relate to that? I mean, in this generation? What does that mean? I don’t know. I guess we would enjoy seeing it, but-

Dan Lega: I think there’s a lot of young people who do know about the SMiLE myth and are waiting to see it.

SD: He’s playing on the myth, though.

Alan Boyd: The legend looms large.

AJ: Does it really?

Peter Beyer: I think a lot of people consider it Brian Wilson’s finest music – legitimately. Not for the myth, but for the music.

AJ: Well, yeah, but it’s not there.

DL: Well, there’s more there than we thought there was for so many years.

SD: No, there’s not. [laughter] There really isn’t – you mean to make up a whole concert? No.

SL: I don’t think he intended to make it the whole concert.

UAM: Probably about 30 minutes.

AB: No, I think it would be, my guess is it would be a segment within a larger show.

PB: Just like Pet Sounds.

UAM: It would be Vega-Tables and Wonderful and Cabin Essence…

AJ: Well, there you go.

AB: Probably like a half hour set within the show.

SD: It’s a clever name because it brings in the customers.

DL: They’re selling out like crazy over in the UK.

AJ: Uh, is Vegetables part of that album?

UAMs: Yeah, oh yeah. Mm-hm.

PB: Vega-Tables, Wonderful, Cabin Essence, Surf’s Up, Heroes & Villains.

AJ: Well, we re-recorded that stuff, and re-recorded it so much that [Al laughs] in a sense, you know, so many different projects, I suppose it could be assimilated into one CD, even. That might be something Capitol ought to do. And then he could go out and tour on that I guess. I guess you’re right. I keep thinking of all the stuff we didn’t finish but I guess you’re right. There is a lot of stuff there. I like Vegetables. I think Brian did a version of Vegetables which I prefer, the one with the tack piano and some of the more cutting edge stuff that we had been working on, as opposed to our version on Smiley Smile. And, for some reason, it just - You know, Steve, we had a great little medium, a little opportunity there to record, but it wasn’t edgy enough for me. I mean, we didn’t have that tack piano, and the Baldwin just seemed to, I don’t know, it just fills up too much space. Takes up too much space on tape, I think.

SD: You mean, it’s over-produced?

AJ: No, I don’t know, it just changed. Things changed. Under-produced, I would say. I liked that tack piano sound we had for a while. With Heroes & Villains in particular, Don Randi and some of those great players, and Leon Russell – people like that – were playing on ten or twelve versions of Heroes & Villains that we had on the box set. That particular sound to me was more alive, more progressive. When we moved to the house we didn’t have the dynamics of those instruments anymore, or the players.

SD: Well, that’s because they were all over there at Studio 3, I guess, at Western, and all playing together.

AJ: Yeah, that’s why we had them come up to the house.

SD: Yeah – well, no, it was because the Beach Boys themselves played a lot of the instruments.

AJ: [indecipherable, but from what I can make out, he’s asking if Heroes & Villains was recorded at the house]

SD: Parts of it, we did parts of it there, bits and pieces of it.

AJ: And it was probably Jim Lockert’s studio, right -

SD: Yes, well that was still the house. Or do you mean Wally Heider?

AJ: Oh, Heider’s, yeah. Anyway, it had kind of a muffled, there’s something about it I didn’t like, the EQ, the whole track was not right, it didn’t have the brightness, and I think we needed that tack piano a lot. It didn’t bite. It didn’t have a bite on it. And when we took it down to KHJ, and Brian was so excited about it, and the guy on duty whoever it was, like around midnight, we all jumped into the - [the next few sentences are difficult to make out on my tape, but we all know the story about Brian taking the group to the radio station to premiere the new Beach Boys single, and the DJ refused to play it because it wasn’t on the playlist, until the manager made him do it. Anyway, I’m only missing about 10 seconds here. Then Al asks Steve if he remembers making the journey with them.]

SD: It was an acetate.

AJ: Oh, yeah!! Right! Right. I’ll be, that’s right.

SD: And I also remember having to take the lawn mower out of the back of the Phantom 5 limo.

AJ: [huge, hearty laugh]

SD: To make room for everybody. [more laughter]

AJ: That’s a great story! [still laughing] What the hell was the lawn mower doing in there? [new wave of laughter]

SD: Brian didn’t have a truck so he used his Rolls Royce to haul his yard equipment around, and we had it fixed.

AJ: Oh, God, I didn’t even know that. That is so funny…

[guitarfool2002]

Thank you, Catbirdman, for posting that transcription! Unfortunately the comments only seem to contradict what Al said before - he says here that it was KHJ, where in the other interview he said KRLA - and in a moment worthy of Richard Nixon's tapes, the sentences which got garbled are the ones which directly involve the issue we're trying to solve!

I think there is no doubt at this point that Brian did in fact organize a caravan to deliver his new record to some radio station that night. But to have such a definitive set of points made by Ron Jacobs, which would serve to eliminate the possibility of such a group even having access to KHJ studios late-night, it still seems as possible that another station was involved.

Bottom line, this is a real clusterfuck of an event to sort out.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I remember the first time that transcript was made available. I am as struck now as I was then at the incredulous reaction to the possibility that there was enough material from the Smile era. Obviously I could understand the hesitation to think they could pull it off - I'm sure many of us were in that position. But it is almost as if Al really had no idea what the Smile music actually was.

[guitarfool2002]

I remember the first time that transcript was made available. I am as struck now as I was then at the incredulous reaction to the possibility that there was enough material from the Smile era. Obviously I could understand the hesitation to think they could pull it off - I'm sure many of us were in that position. But it is almost as if Al really had no idea what the Smile music actually was.

I agree 100%. Your last sentence itself speaks volumes about the whole scene around Smile, which carried on for decades. I thought the way the topic of Smile and Brian doing Smile live was discussed at that event bordered on dismissive.

Now compare that interview (one of several like it...) to the more positive tone of the comments that we heard on that series of YouTube Smile "webisodes" and other press releases where it seems at times they're either different people talking about the same Smile project, or the same people talking about a different album.

Honestly, and I'm probably wrong, I just think Al felt left out and when he's excluded, his interviews are more negative and when he's back in the Beach Boys loop, he can be quite positive. I guess everyone is that way, human nature and all that.

[Bicyclerider]

Thank you, Catbirdman, for posting that transcription! Unfortunately the comments only seem to contradict what Al said before - he says here that it was KHJ, where in the other interview he said KRLA - and in a moment worthy of Richard Nixon's tapes, the sentences which got garbled are the ones which directly involve the issue we're trying to solve!

I think there is no doubt at this point that Brian did in fact organize a caravan to deliver his new record to some radio station that night. But to have such a definitive set of points made by Ron Jacobs, which would serve to eliminate the possibility of such a group even having access to KHJ studios late-night, it still seems as possible that another station was involved.

Bottom line, this is a real clusterf*** of an event to sort out.

Can we find out whom would have been on duty on the night shift at KRLA?  And who the manager would have thAt approved the playing of the record?

[guitarfool2002]

Thank you, Catbirdman, for posting that transcription! Unfortunately the comments only seem to contradict what Al said before - he says here that it was KHJ, where in the other interview he said KRLA - and in a moment worthy of Richard Nixon's tapes, the sentences which got garbled are the ones which directly involve the issue we're trying to solve!

I think there is no doubt at this point that Brian did in fact organize a caravan to deliver his new record to some radio station that night. But to have such a definitive set of points made by Ron Jacobs, which would serve to eliminate the possibility of such a group even having access to KHJ studios late-night, it still seems as possible that another station was involved.

Bottom line, this is a real clusterf*** of an event to sort out.

Can we find out whom would have been on duty on the night shift at KRLA?  And who the manager would have thAt approved the playing of the record?

I'm on it! Hopefully results soon...

[guitarfool2002]

The weekday lineup for KRLA as of mid-June 1967:

Charlie O'Donnell 6-9 AM
Rebel Foster 9 -noon
Casey Kasem noon-3
Dave Hull 3-6 PM
Johnny Hayes 6-9 PM
Dick Biondi 9-midnight
Pat Moore midnight-6

Fill-ins, weekends, substitutes:
Bob Eubanks
Dick Moreland
Bill Slater
Bob Dayton

Dick Moreland was also listed as the Program Director, details are spotty but it would appear Moreland would have had that job in July '67. Cecil Tuck was the News Director and publisher of the KRLA Beat magazine.

Bob Dayton was a fill-in and weekend host after his former employer KBLA switched to a country format in mid June '67 and joined KRLA that same month, June 17. Dayton therefore was the "new guy" at that time, and would fill in for any regular DJ who wasn't able to do their shift. He could have been on the air at any time, we need to narrow a few things down of course.

KRLA's schedule had just been shaken up a bit after Dave Hull was fired in late April for not following procedure/orders. Through his connections Hull received an advance tape of When I'm 64 from the forthcoming Sgt. Pepper, and wanted to play his 'exclusive" on the air. Management refused to allow it as a deal had been struck for all stations to play it at the same time, no "scoops" or exclusives with the new Beatles, even though KRLA had billed itself as "The Beatles Station" in LA for several years. So Hull didn't show up for a shift, went to a party for Twiggy instead, and lost his job. Hull's fans flooded KRLA with complaints, and staged several public protests outside the station and eventually Hull was hired back, and took his regular spot. So there was somewhat of a temporary shakeup, but this was well before July, and probably had no effect on what we're discussing.

Then in August '67, KRLA went through yet another more drastic shakeup after they were losing more in the ratings, but again I think the list of DJ's and weekenders posted above would represent what was there in early July 1967.

[I. Spaceman]

Great info, great thread. I dig the info about Dave Hull, what a rebel. Along with Jim Steck, he was one of the cats that stowed away on The Beatles' airplane on the summer '64 USA tour to catch more exclusive interviews. Which begs the trivia question: What Beatles album does Hal Blaine perform on?

Anyway, nice research all around here.

[Cam Mott]

Someone want to invite Mr. Desper?

[Custom Machine]

Checking the KHJ, KRLA, and KFWB surveys, I’d say KHJ was the station the guys went to.  Heroes and Villains first appears, as a Hitbound, on KHJ’s survey dated July 12, whereas the song does not appear on KFWB’s July 25 survey, nor on KRLA’s Aug. 5 survey (the only ones from that time period that I was able to find on the web).  All this suggests that KHJ had an exclusive on the record before the other LA stations received it. Plus, KHJ overnight dj Johnny Williams remembers playing the record with Ron Jacobs’ “KHJ exclusive” whispered voiceover.

Other than the one time Al Jardine says “I think it was KRLA”, the station in this story has always been identified as KHJ, and three years after that Al said he thought it might be KRLA he stated that the station was KHJ.   (Thanks to Catbirdman for posting the transcript of that 2003 conference call.)

KHJ was the number one station and the best choice to premiere the Beach Boys new record. Good Vibrations had received its world premiere on KHJ-TV’s “Boss City” (hosted by KHJ dj The Real Don Steele) the previous September, and the BBs performed the song on that show a few weeks later.  The AM, FM, and TV were all in the same building, so the guys were familiar with the station and its location.

So I’d say the station the guys went to was almost certainly KHJ.  What’s in question is what transpired after they got there.

[HighOnLife]

Which begs the trivia question: What Beatles album does Hal Blaine perform on?

Let It Be? 

[rn57]

Which begs the trivia question: What Beatles album does Hal Blaine perform on?

Let It Be? 

There was a lengthy thread on stevehoffman.tv last year in which it was claimed Blaine played all over the White Album and some later Beatles stuff...and was also on the Zep's "When The Levee Breaks." Someone else suggested that Carol Kaye played on all the records after Paul died. I just knew that Shears kid couldn't cut it.

[guitarfool2002]

KHJ was the number one station and the best choice to premiere the Beach Boys new record. Good Vibrations had received its world premiere on KHJ-TV’s “Boss City” (hosted by KHJ dj The Real Don Steele) the previous September, and the BBs performed the song on that show a few weeks later.  The AM, FM, and TV were all in the same building, so the guys were familiar with the station and its location.

So I’d say the station the guys went to was almost certainly KHJ.  What’s in question is what transpired after they got there.

In 1966 Sam Riddle would have been the host of the Saturday show "Boss City", he also did the live daily music and dance show "9th Street West" on KHJ-TV, although Steele and other KHJ personalities would show up (as evidenced by photos, etc.) or guest host or whatever, but Riddle was the main guy. I think Steele took over as official host of Boss City in 1970, plus he had his own self-titled TV show, and of course Morgan in the late 60's had his own show "Groovy"...it pays to have a TV station and radio station share the same building(s)!

Premiering "Good Vibrations" actually made the news in Billboard Dec 3 1966, you can still see it on Google...shades of what would come with MTV, this move was hailed as a new and fresh idea and KHJ was praised for using radio and TV to premiere a record. In 2012 standards it seems silly to think a station playing a new record on TV was worthy of a news item in Billboard. One of my own personal "Holy Grail" videos would be Brian appearing on "Boss City" in '66, but I don't think it will ever happen. Last I heard there are tapes of the show, but not that time period as 9th Street West was live every day, "Boss City" was taped during the week and aired Saturday, and they'd just wipe the tapes and reuse them. At least that was the last I heard, and I'd imagine if it were available they would have had it in all the Smile releases somewhere, as they've been using the GV studio film recently.

Maybe you're right on KHJ being the station after all the go-arounds, I totally agree with all the points and it's confirming what we assumed/concluded in years past. Maybe the part of the story about them actually getting to the DJ in the studio that night with the record, then the DJ calling Jacobs who ordered him to play it was an embellishment or an outright fabrication to juice up the tale. I still can't get past the fact that Jacobs said there would be no access like that at night, and that's not the kind of thing that you'd confuse or forget after 45 years, it's the way it was at that station.

Perhaps it was as simple as the guard at the gate/door turning them away and the part about the DJ was pure fantasy. Or perhaps Jacobs is mistaken.

Back to square 1...

[guitarfool2002]

Edit: It's all a bit confusing about hosting details, in 1966-67 was "Boss City" a co-hosting deal with both Riddle and Steele, and 9th Street West a solo hosting gig for Riddle? Or were they both just Riddle? And was Kam Nelson on the show in '66 when Brian would have been there? I know she was there in 67, and there's the picture of her at the KHJ "Yellow Submarine" party in '68 with several Beach Boys, BB wives, and the KHJ staff.

The lack of any substantial video from these shows makes it very confusing to find solid info!

[Cam Mott]

I agree. After looking at the availbale KRLA stuff, it must have been KHJ. 

Someone refresh me please, the date shown on survey is the date of the first day of week being being surveyed? Anyway, as far as I've seen the stations who don't have "Boss" in their headline do not have H&V on a survey until the July 19/22 week. Anybody find a non-"Boss" survey with H&V in that July12/15 week or before? If not then wouldn't that and a KHJ dj remembering H&V having an "exclusive" audiomark  pretty much lay it at KHJ's feet?

 I think it probably must be another example of the Velvet Steamroller [Brian] getting his way and the KHJ staff amongst those victim to being under his spell enough for him to get his way to a large extent regardless of the rules and regs or the reservations of those who got velvet rolled. You know, just like all of the musicians, engineers, label suits, Boys, et al before them had done.

[Custom Machine]

I agree. After looking at the availbale KRLA stuff, it must have been KHJ. 

Someone refresh me please, the date shown on survey is the date of the first day of week being being surveyed? Anyway, as far as I've seen the stations who don't have "Boss" in their headline do not have H&V on a survey until the July 19/22 week. Anybody find a non-"Boss" survey with H&V in that July12/15 week or before? If not then wouldn't that and a KHJ dj remembering H&V having an "exclusive" audiomark  pretty much lay it at KHJ's feet?

Something to keep in mind when comparing record surveys is that they are not all dated the same way.  For example, the KHJ survey “previewed July 12” hit the record stores on the following day, July 13.  Heroes and Villains debuted on the Billboard national chart “for the week ending Aug. 4, 1967” with the issue that contained that survey arriving in mailboxes and hitting the newsstands roughly a week earlier than the survey date.

KGB, the Drake-Chenault consulted Boss Radio station in San Diego, where Tom Maule had worked right up until his debut at KHJ in mid-June, doesn’t list Heroes and Villains as a hitbound until July 19, a week after it appeared on the KHJ survey.

[Cam Mott]

Right, KHJ's week started the 12th, so info from July 5 to 12. KELO's week ended the 15th, so info from July 8 to 15. KGB's began the 19th, so July 12 to 19. All "Boss" stations.  So maybe this occurred sometime between July 8 and 12th?

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I remember the first time that transcript was made available. I am as struck now as I was then at the incredulous reaction to the possibility that there was enough material from the Smile era. Obviously I could understand the hesitation to think they could pull it off - I'm sure many of us were in that position. But it is almost as if Al really had no idea what the Smile music actually was.

I agree 100%. Your last sentence itself speaks volumes about the whole scene around Smile, which carried on for decades. I thought the way the topic of Smile and Brian doing Smile live was discussed at that event bordered on dismissive.

Now compare that interview (one of several like it...) to the more positive tone of the comments that we heard on that series of YouTube Smile "webisodes" and other press releases where it seems at times they're either different people talking about the same Smile project, or the same people talking about a different album.

Honestly, and I'm probably wrong, I just think Al felt left out and when he's excluded, his interviews are more negative and when he's back in the Beach Boys loop, he can be quite positive. I guess everyone is that way, human nature and all that.

And of course no-one is more guilty of this than Bruce who raves about SMiLE, and how fantastic it would've been had it been released, in the web-isodes, and yet a  decade ago when asked about SMiLE in Q magazine he sneered: 'Brian had us crawling around on our hands and knees. It was all so f**king humiliating!'

[Cam Mott]

Anyone ask Mr. Desper yet?

I know, you're thinking: "why don't you do it, Cam?" and I'm thinking: "someone else's turn". 

[guitarfool2002]

I think it probably must be another example of the Velvet Steamroller [Brian] getting his way and the KHJ staff amongst those victim to being under his spell enough for him to get his way to a large extent regardless of the rules and regs or the reservations of those who got velvet rolled. You know, just like all of the musicians, engineers, label suits, Boys, et al before them had done.

With all due respect, I'd seriously reconsider some of those statements, unless they're tongue-in-cheek in which case it's all good!  

I'm going to call Ron Jacobs out on this one, and ask Cam to consider a few points. I've read a lot from Ron Jacobs, blog posts, articles, books, interviews, etc...I can't say whatever is available online but it's close to that.

In several places, Jacobs is all but bragging how rock stars and their managers would hand-carry a new single "hot off the press" to KHJ studios, Jacobs would whisper "KHJ exclusive" throughout the song, and it would go on the air as soon as they could get it on the air. He specifically mentions Brian Wilson hand-delivering songs to KHJ which had just been mixed, to give them the exclusive. As Billboard points out in Dec 1966, KHJ scored a coup in the industry by having Brian premiere his new record GV both on KHJ radio and KHJ-TV...again, it sounds innocent as of 2012 but this was 1966 and it made the news. And other artists did the very same thing...witness how KHJ got similar Monkees exclusives and premieres throughout 1967 while they were associated with KHJ personality Robert W Morgan, and the station in general championed the band and the TV show by playing anything they could find, including recordings off the television that no record contained.

So Jacobs, those several times he's specifically mentioned Brian and other times the fans like myself have seen, and his station KHJ have benefited from Brian Wilson giving them an exclusive premiere of a record when he could have taken it anywhere. Yet at the same time Jacobs seems less than enthusiastic about Brian doing this in his email replies?

It doesn't wash. You can't through the years tout the fact that Brian would hand-carry his new mixes to KHJ for exclusive airplay premieres, then suggest it was something less than memorable bordering on "against the regulations" in a series of email replies about this one instance.

And remember, too, Brian gave them permission to use one of his songs as a promo jingle sung by all the KHJ on-air staff as Jacobs was just getting the Boss Radio format up and running in '65. So I'd say Jacobs over time may have lost some of the gratitude he expressed to Brian previously, or simply forgot this one particular incident with Heroes, where they showed up after hours anyway and it messed up the process.

[Cam Mott]

I'm not sure I'm following.

I'm saying that Jacobs apparently wasn't there at the time and it seems likely Brian got his way inspite of whatever rules Jacobs had in place. I'd like to hear a fuller witness from an eyewitness and I hope Mr. Desper has it.

Jacobs does seem to contradict himself I'm reading in your post. In my experience, the older we get the better/harder-ass we were. Jacobs might have been a hard ass with a lot of rules etc. but to me this fits the M.O. that Brian had of getting his way and getting people to go along with what he wanted regardless of what others wanted or what the rules were just like he did with those and the rules at Capitol and Columbia and the Posse and the Boys, etc., etc.. Doesn't that fit with what you are saying?

[guitarfool2002]

I'm not sure I'm following.

I'm saying that Jacobs apparently wasn't there at the time and it seems likely Brian got his way inspite of whatever rules Jacobs had in place. I'd like to hear a fuller witness from an eyewitness and I hope Mr. Desper has it.

Jacobs does seem to contradict himself I'm reading in your post. In my experience, the older we get the better/harder-ass we were. Jacobs might have been a hard ass with a lot of rules etc. but to me this fits the M.O. that Brian had of getting his way and getting people to go along with what he wanted regardless of what others wanted or what the rules were just like he did with those and the rules at Capitol and Columbia and the Posse and the Boys, etc., etc.. Doesn't that fit with what you are saying?

The contradiction I see is that Ron Jacobs had in the past all but boasted that Brian would personally deliver a new song to KHJ, which appeared to me to be not only pointing out the stature of KHJ as a station but also the stature of KHJ (and of Jacobs himself, in a good but still bragging-rights kind of way) as the place where the bigger stars in music at that time in LA would show up in person to play their record.

It also carries over to another storied place in the history, "Martoni's", that restaurant where Mike Love once got thrown out. It also happened to be the place where KHJ DJs would hang out before and after their shifts, and all types of managers, agents, etc. would cozy up to them and possibly hand off a new record in an effort to promote "their star", whichever band or artist that was. Some records actually broke because they got played on KHJ, I know Real Don Steele was one of Sonny and Cher's earliest champions on the radio and he did help spread some buzz and hype about them in particular, early on.

Take all of that into consideration, and there was in fact a history of stars, Brian in particular as Jacobs had mentioned him by name, who would show up at KHJ with a new record for them to play. It was, by July 1967, somewhat of a standard practice that Jacobs seemed to relish as the hottest PD in radio around that time. He even had a radiotelephone in his car, an early version of the cel phone, so he could stay informed with goings-on at the station or if he had one of his own to report before his competitors.

So for him to talk as he did of Brian in the July 1967 doesn't line up with that history. And it seems to have less to do with Brian wanting to get his way as it does with Brian doing what he had done on at least two documented events and several that Jacobs spoke of...that would be showing up at the station with his new record for them to play.

Why would Brian be doing something "wrong" if he essentially did what he had done in the previous two years and considered it a big deal to hand off the "exclusive" to KHJ before other stations had it?

[Cam Mott]

I agree but even if there were hard ass rules etc. in place and it was after hours which would be different from what Jacobs was describing and so I still feel it would be the usual for Brian to get his way still because he had a way of getting people to do what he wanted whether there were rules or hard asses or objections or whatever.

I'm repeating myself. Old.

[guitarfool2002]

I agree but even if there were hard ass rules etc. in place and it was after hours which would be different from what Jacobs was describing and so I still feel it would be the usual for Brian to get his way still because he had a way of getting people to do what he wanted whether there were rules or hard asses or objections or whatever.

I'm repeating myself. Old.

I see that, but if Brian were just doing what we know he had been welcomed with open arms at KHJ for doing when he had done the same thing in the recent past, it wouldn't be as much about Brian getting his way as it would be a case of wondering why it didn't happen this time.

I think I can describe my take on the recent info by saying Ron Jacobs contradicted what he had described before as a pretty common thing for artists, including Brian, to drop in at KHJ with their newest records. Ultimately, and I've said it before, but I think Brian's timing was just off on choosing that particular night and time to drop in. If Jacobs himself were still there, it would have gone on the air most likely with an interview to go along with the record. But no one was informed the band would be showing up, and they showed up after hours.

It was quite a coup to have Brian and band show up with a new record in July 1967.

[Custom Machine]

When I contacted Ron Jacobs a little over a year ago asking for his comments on this story and if the jock was Tom Maule, I expected a reply along the lines of, “Oh yeah, Tom Maule was the dj in question and I couldn’t believe he told someone like Brian Wilson that he couldn’t play the Beach Boys new record because it wasn’t on the playlist!  Maule was a great jock, but he was new to the station and apparently so intimidated by the rules that I guess he didn’t realize that there were times you’ve gotta bend ‘em!  Man, did I chew his ass out on that one!  I’ll never forget that call, ‘Uh, Ron, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys is here with their new record and he want’s to give us an exclusive, but I had to tell him that I can’t play it because it’s not on the playlist and I was just wondering if …’”

So you can imagine my surprise when Jacobs said, “If the story is true, the jock did the right thing.”  And I was even more surprised when he stated, “I have never heard anything of this story.  Which does not mean that it didn't happen, either as passed on, or, like most ‘great’ stories, hyped by each generation perpetuating it.”

With the exception of Al Jardine’s brief account, where he says the dj played the record but doesn’t go into details of what may have occurred prior to the record being played, all other published accounts of this story appear to be based on Terry Melcher’s account, first published in Rolling Stone in 1971.

Did Terry Melcher embellish the story when he told it to Tom Nolan of Rolling Stone?  Or was his memory somewhat faulty, although he was retelling the story only four years after the incident in question.  The author of the Rolling Stone article says Melcher was present for the public debut, but is it possible he was not and was recounting a story he had heard second hand?

Who all accompanied Brian to the KHJ studios? From Melcher’s account, it sounds like at least some of, and perhaps all of the other members of the Beach Boys were there.

So maybe the story simply did not occur in the dramatic fashion described by Terry Melcher.  Maybe it wasn’t a huge caravan of limos.  Although Ron Jacobs says no after hours entry was allowed, I can certainly see someone of Brian Wilson’s stature making it inside, especially if one of the guards recognized him and other members of the band.  Maybe Tom Maule said he couldn’t play the record just then because it wasn’t on the playlist and thus would first need to be carted (recorded onto a Fidelipac tape cartridge for broadcast). 

KHJ jocks did not run their own board, with those duties assigned to an engineer.  Maybe the engineer carted the acetate, obviously listening to it as he did, then they put it on the air.  Or maybe it wasn’t carted until the morning when Ron Jacobs arrived at the studio and recorded his “KHJ exclusive” voiceover.

Stephen Desper has been a wonderful resource in understanding so many facets of Beach Boys history, and it would be great to have him chime in on all this.

In 2003 Mr. Desper stated that he’d taken a lawn mower out of Brian’s Rolls Royce Phanton 5 so that more people could fit in the car for the trip to KHJ, about 20 minutes away at 5515 Melrose.

Who all does Stephen Desper recall making the trip?  Did Mr. Desper himself make the trip, or after removing the lawn mower did he head home or stay back at Brian’s home studio?

How many vehicles does he recall making the trip?  Since he went to the trouble of removing the lawn mover to make room, was it just Brian’s Rolls, or as Melcher stated, was it a caravan of limos?

Assuming Stephen Desper went to the KHJ studios, what are his recollections of what transpired?