He Gives Speeches.... too slow

[richardsnow]

First I'd like to say I love the box set, a few funny edits here and there but brilliant and deserving of the Grammy.

However, I hear He Gives Speeches and I swear the tape is runnig slow. Always thought it on the SOT boot too.  I'm sure that is how it sounds on the tape at 15ips. But I suggest that for some reason it was recorded at 15ips plus a couple of notches on the varispeed. From working in a studio in the years of tape I know  tha a few times we cut stuff just off 15ips, sometimes by accident , sometimes on purpose. My main reason for thinking is the tone of Brian's voice. He sounds like a tape slowed down.

For further proof, notice that HGS is in the key of F.  Yet She's going bald is in F#

I always used to speed it up on my smile comps back in the day and assumed that Mark and co would come to the same conclusion. Thoughts?

[Ebb and Flow]

He slowed it down to record the backing vocals, a technique later done on the cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "It's Over Now" (and probably a few others I'm forgetting).  Who knows if he would have sped it back up if it were released?

[richardsnow]

exactly, these were the kind of reasons we used to use the vary speed. To do an over dub that had a difficult note or a different sound was required.  But then you usually put it back to correct speed for playback unless you want an over all odd effect on everything. Eg Strawberry fields part 2.  I shall continue to listen to my (IMHO) speed corrected version ;-)

[Sheriff John Stone]

First I'd like to say I love the box set, a few funny edits here and there but brilliant and deserving of the Grammy.

However, I hear He Gives Speeches and I swear the tape is runnig slow. Always thought it on the SOT boot too.  I'm sure that is how it sounds on the tape at 15ips. But I suggest that for some reason it was recorded at 15ips plus a couple of notches on the varispeed. From working in a studio in the years of tape I know  tha a few times we cut stuff just off 15ips, sometimes by accident , sometimes on purpose. My main reason for thinking is the tone of Brian's voice. He sounds like a tape slowed down.

For further proof, notice that HGS is in the key of F.  Yet She's going bald is in F#

I always used to speed it up on my smile comps back in the day and assumed that Mark and co would come to the same conclusion. Thoughts?

I agree with you. The boxed set (slow) version is unlistenable to me. I stumbled across a faster (correct speed?) version which I substitute on my SMiLE comps.

Not to de-rail the thread but I feel the same way about "It's Over Now" from the Good Vibrations boxed set. Such a great song but also unlistenable due to the dragging. And, again, I heard a faster version which is so much better. 

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Hi Richard, good to see you here!

[DonnyL]

First I'd like to say I love the box set, a few funny edits here and there but brilliant and deserving of the Grammy.

However, I hear He Gives Speeches and I swear the tape is runnig slow. Always thought it on the SOT boot too.  I'm sure that is how it sounds on the tape at 15ips. But I suggest that for some reason it was recorded at 15ips plus a couple of notches on the varispeed. From working in a studio in the years of tape I know  tha a few times we cut stuff just off 15ips, sometimes by accident , sometimes on purpose. My main reason for thinking is the tone of Brian's voice. He sounds like a tape slowed down.

For further proof, notice that HGS is in the key of F.  Yet She's going bald is in F#

I always used to speed it up on my smile comps back in the day and assumed that Mark and co would come to the same conclusion. Thoughts?

Hi Richard,

Maybe the reverse is true? Perhaps the recorded (or bounced) the basic track at a slightly higher speed because maybe Brian wanted the lower pitch?

Most machines at this time did not have varispeed, so I think they typically wrapped the capstan to make it faster. Though there is a brief mention of an oscillator being used to vari-speed on one of the Smile box session outtakes banter. So the studio may have rigged one together.

But yeh, I agree it sounds slowed down, one way or the other, for one reason or another.

[richardsnow]

Hello Stephen, long time no hear!


Donny:
Yeh I think you're right, they had to put a wrap round the capstan to speed up "Caroline No".
Although I know Abbey Road had manged to cobble together a varispeed system by late 66/early 67 so I'm guessing the LA studios had also "come up to speed" with the latest gadget too.   

[mathen_]

I may be wrong, but I'm almost sure that the "Whisperin' winds..." ending tag on the Smile Sessions' "Holidays" is really sped up.

[runnersdialzero]

For further proof, notice that HGS is in the key of F.  Yet She's going bald is in F#

The Smile takes of "Surf's Up", "Wonderful", "Wind Chimes" and "Vegetables" are in different keys than their later 1967 versions, so I don't think this means anything. There's no reason I can think of that Brian would need to alter the key to record backing vocals.

Brian's voice is noticeably "off" when I speed "He Gives Speeches" up, it has that quality to it when you speed anyone's voice up and is especially obvious in the end when he's speaking. It's fairly low in Brian's register and his singing style seems kind of put on, I'm wondering if he meant for someone else (Mike?) to do the lead.

I think the box set speed is the correct speed.

[Cabinessenceking]

I may be wrong, but I'm almost sure that the "Whisperin' winds..." ending tag on the Smile Sessions' "Holidays" is really sped up.

most certainly is!

[PaulTMA]

I'd love to hear It's Over Now speed-corrected.

[SufferingFools]

I'd love to hear It's Over Now speed-corrected.

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI0UT3Ix5jk

[richardsnow]

For further proof, notice that HGS is in the key of F.  Yet She's going bald is in F#

Brian's voice is noticeably "off" when I speed "He Gives Speeches" up, it has that quality to it when you speed anyone's voice up and is especially obvious in the end when he's speaking. It's fairly low in Brian's register and his singing style seems kind of put on, I'm wondering if he meant for someone else (Mike?) to do the lead.

To me the reverse is true. It doesn't sounds like Brian's usual voice till you crank up the speed.

[TV Forces]

First I'd like to say I love the box set, a few funny edits here and there but brilliant and deserving of the Grammy.

However, I hear He Gives Speeches and I swear the tape is runnig slow. Always thought it on the SOT boot too.  I'm sure that is how it sounds on the tape at 15ips. But I suggest that for some reason it was recorded at 15ips plus a couple of notches on the varispeed. From working in a studio in the years of tape I know  tha a few times we cut stuff just off 15ips, sometimes by accident , sometimes on purpose. My main reason for thinking is the tone of Brian's voice. He sounds like a tape slowed down.

For further proof, notice that HGS is in the key of F.  Yet She's going bald is in F#

I always used to speed it up on my smile comps back in the day and assumed that Mark and co would come to the same conclusion. Thoughts?

I agree with you and have been saying it since clips of the box started surfacing in late 2011.  It was too slow on the SOT boot and when sped up, sounded perfect.  Now it's slowed down again and doesn't work at all.  Very glad it's not part of the proper "SMiLE" running order with this annoying mistake included.