Bob & Bobby - Baby What You Want Me to Do?/ Twelve-o-Four

[Jason Penick]

I was randomly listening to "Baby What You Want Me to Do?", Brian's 1965 production for Bob (Norberg) & Bobby (?) today, and was struck by what a great recording this is. It's got that wailing Tommy Morgan harmonica, fine locked-in drumming from Hal Blaine, some really lush organ chords and that same cool "dead air" effect BW used so effectively on "The Little Girl I Once Knew".

Anyway, this does seem to be one Brian production that sort of "slipped through the cracks" as it were, where even many serious fans aren't really aware of it's existence; but I think it's right up there with his most creative productions from '65.

Can anyone share any stories about this fine single? I'm looking for any information or appreciation beyond what can be found on AGD's site. Thanks.

[petsite]

I can tell you this much. It is available from a tape rather than viynl source here (which sounds really good):





9/65     Bob & Bobby   Tower 154     Twelve-O-Four*/Baby What You Want Me To Do*

Bob is, again, Bob Norburg, the co-producer. The story goes that Brian had a chance meeting with him and
took over the project as a sort of favor. Brian's involvement in the B side is documented by an AFM sheet,
that of the A side being anecdotal: however, there are times when the male voice on both sides sounds awfully
like him... According to a reliable researcher, Bobby was Jane Canada, who later released a few solo singles.

[Jason Penick]

That looks like a cool comp (Arthur Lee & the LAGs.. yes!). Too bad "Baby What You Want Me to Do" wasn't included as well. I don't believe Brian had anything to do with "Twelve-o-Four".

"City Surfer" by The Beach Balls was early pre-Byrds McGuinn with Bobby Darin!

[bgas]

That looks like a cool comp (Arthur Lee & the LAGs.. yes!). Too bad "Baby What You Want Me to Do" wasn't included as well. I don't believe Brian had anything to do with "Twelve-o-Four".

"City Surfer" by The Beach Balls was early pre-Byrds McGuinn with Bobby Darin!

Fairly certain you meant to say " Beach Ball"  by the City Surfers....

[Mikie]

I have this record. Single came out on Tower in 1965.

It's also on a CD called "Still I Dream Of It - the Rare Works of Brian Wilson", a Japanese comp from 1993.

[Jason Penick]

That looks like a cool comp (Arthur Lee & the LAGs.. yes!). Too bad "Baby What You Want Me to Do" wasn't included as well. I don't believe Brian had anything to do with "Twelve-o-Four".

"City Surfer" by The Beach Balls was early pre-Byrds McGuinn with Bobby Darin!

Fairly certain you meant to say " Beach Ball"  by the City Surfers....

Hey buddy, I'm not as think as you drunk I am!  

Somewhere in an alternate universe composed of anti-matter, there exists a song called "City Surfer" by The Beach Balls, I assure you.

[Jason Penick]

I have this record. Single came out on Tower in 1965.

It's also on a CD called "Still I Dream Of It - the Rare Works of Brian Wilson", a Japanese comp from 1993.

Yep, that wonderful M&M "grey market" CD is my source. Sounds like a 64kbs mp3 file recorded to a type I Maxell cassette, but it's all I've got.

Would do terrible things to hear a decent sounding version. How is the quality of your 45 Mikie?

[MBE]

I have the 45 and Brian did produce it.

[Jason Penick]

Interesting. The red label Tower promo displayed on the one YouTube clip I found of "Twelve-o-Four" clearly says Produced by Bob Norberg.

My ears tell me it's definitely Brian at the helm of "Baby What You Want Me to Do". But my ears have told me lots of things through the years.  

[Mikie]

Would do terrible things to hear a decent sounding version. How is the quality of your 45 Mikie?

About VG+ condition, Jason.  A few clicks, no pops.  Haven't played it in more than 15 years when my turntable was last hooked up. The labels on both sides of the record say "Produced by Bob Norberg", but I think at least the B-side was co-produced by Brian (uncredited).

Norberg once told Brad Elliott that Bobby was a girl whose real name was Jane Canada, but he didn't remember much about her. She was a local L.A. singer that Bob met and asked her to sing on the one single, then they went their separate ways and he never heard from her again.

BTW, both songs can also be found on the 7-disc boot "Brian Wilson Sessions".

[Jason Penick]

Thanks Mikie. Exactly the type of info I was looking for.

Are you in the Bay Area by chance? I have a local buddy with a new Rega turntable who's dying to do some needledrops. Just sayin'.

[MBE]

Thanks Mikie. Exactly the type of info I was looking for.

Are you in the Bay Area by chance? I have a local buddy with a new Rega turntable who's dying to do some needledrops. Just sayin'.

My 45 is in great shape Jason. If you send me a s.a.s.e. I will copy it off my record player onto CD. I have professinal equipment to do so.

[Rocker]

I have the 45 and Brian did produce it.

It's really a great recording. But didn't Brian "only" co-produce ? I forgot who the other producer was (shame on me) but it was a name fairly known in Beach Boys-Land

[dogear]

Working title of the song "Baby What You Want Me To Do" seems to have been "Peep and Hide" (taken from the lyrics at the beginning of the third verse)
AFM contract # 106707
Date: Aug 17, 1964
Personnel: Tommy Morgan, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Bill Pitman
Producers: Brian Wilson, Bob Norberg
Employer: Grand Prix Records
Session leader: Hal Blaine

At the bottom of the contract it reads "Originally was Sea Of Tunes, later changed to Grand Prix"

AFM reprint can be found in: Stephen McParland: Our Favourite Recording Sessions, CM Publishing 2000, p. 79f.

Backing Vocals on both sides of the 45, which was only released about a year later: The Honeys

1965 Jane Canada released two 45s on the Crusader Label
(118) Just before The Night/Just Imagination
(125) Am I Dreaming/Remind My Baby Of Me
and one on the Magic Lamp label
(616) Am I Dreaming/You eyes Will Tell On You
(no involvement from Norberg or Wilson)

[I. Spaceman]

Working title of the song "Baby What You Want Me To Do" seems to have been "Peep and Hide" (taken from the lyrics at the beginning of the third verse)
 

Guess the engineer wasn't a Jimmy Reed fan.

[guitarfool2002]

Great info!

A few points - First, that surf comp from cassette looks like a damn fine collection, if anyone has it on a format which is not obsolete and can be transferred let me know. I have the BW collections already but have never seen that collection, and it looks really cool. Bobby 'Don't Call Me Boris' Pickett doing surf...that's boss!  

I was wondering on a larger scale who bankrolled or financed these sessions in general. They weren't Capitol, they used AFM musicians like Hal who would often ask double-scale rates just to be booked for the date, and the label affiliations if any were pretty shaky at best, so it would seem. If these were Brian's own side-projects, did Brian himself finance them? Meaning simply, if it were not Capitol like "Guess I'm Dumb", they wouldn't be footing the bill.

I was also wondering if there were any anecdotal evidence of Murry in any way trying to blacklist or even sabotage any of these records, especially if his Sea Of Tunes didn't stand to profit. All the tales of Murry hammering home the idea of loyalty and family and not giving away work to "outsiders", I wondered if any of that actually translated into Murry attempting to torpedo any of Brian's projects which didn't benefit him or The Boys.

[Mikie]

Good stuff, Dogear.   Didn't realize that was in McParland's book.

[dogear]

Great info!

A few points - First, that surf comp from cassette looks like a damn fine collection, if anyone has it on a format which is not obsolete and can be transferred let me know. I have the BW collections already but have never seen that collection, and it looks really cool. Bobby 'Don't Call Me Boris' Pickett doing surf...that's boss!  

Look here http://www.ebay.de/itm/Rare-Surf-Volume-5-Capitol-masters-Japan-CD-w-obi-wayne-newton-CTCD-255-/370637434045?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item564bb66cbd

[bgas]

Your listening pleasure may vary; here's my copy: 


     

http://www.sendspace.com/file/oy86t4 


     

http://www.sendspace.com/file/rv2kqj 

[18thofMay]

Twelve-o-Four sure sounds like Brian

[guitarfool2002]

Great info!

A few points - First, that surf comp from cassette looks like a damn fine collection, if anyone has it on a format which is not obsolete and can be transferred let me know. I have the BW collections already but have never seen that collection, and it looks really cool. Bobby 'Don't Call Me Boris' Pickett doing surf...that's boss!  

Look here http://www.ebay.de/itm/Rare-Surf-Volume-5-Capitol-masters-Japan-CD-w-obi-wayne-newton-CTCD-255-/370637434045?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item564bb66cbd

Thanks for the link, but at the risk of sounding like a cheapskate, it isn't worth 50 dollars. Unless I'm the seller making that kind of profit on the markup, I can't think of any single CD that would be worth 50 dollars in 2012 for listening rather than collector value...

[Andrew G. Doe]

9/65     Bob & Bobby   Tower 154     Twelve-O-Four*/Baby What You Want Me To Do*

Bob is, again, Bob Norburg, the co-producer. The story goes that Brian had a chance meeting with him and
took over the project as a sort of favor. Brian's involvement in the B side is documented by an AFM sheet,
that of the A side being anecdotal: however, there are times when the male voice on both sides sounds awfully
like him... According to a reliable researcher, Bobby was Jane Canada, who later released a few solo singles.

Wow, that's a dandy capsule summary of this single. Wish I could write like that.

[The Shift]

Oh Great Sarcastic Lord and Leader of Robotic-likes,

Allow me to bring enlightenment to those who walk in darkness (and to spare your modesty):

http://esquarterly.com/bellagio/productions.html

[Andrew G. Doe]

I have no modesty. It was surgically removed at birth, along with my scruples.

[The Shift]

I have no modesty. It was surgically removed at birth, along with my scruples.

I have your scruples in a jar of formaldehyde, on a shelf above my desk. Should the need ever arise, your acolytes and I will extract your DNA from them to ensure you arise, phoenix-like… or cloned phoenix-like – or at least like a pair of cloned scruples – to keep people in their place.  In the meantime I'll continue to turn them over once a week and give 'em a scratch.