Five Songs for MIC

[Ovi]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors". 

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

Garbage? I'd say my version is pretty listenable.

[Dave Modny]

I just stuck to studio material, but...

We Got Love
Carry Me Home
Big Sur
Hard Times
Lady (original stereo version)




Honorable mention (because what good is making a list if you can't ignore the OP's original instructions...and instead cheat...lol) 

It's A New Day
Burlesque (based on the description alone)
In The Back Of My Mind "'75" (ditto)
Mony Mony
Shake, Rattle And Roll
My Solution
Loop De Loop (original version)
Never Learn Not To Love (mono single mix)


PS - I always hoped and dreamed that they would one day discover, perhaps under a rock or in a garbage can at the side of the road, a full-fledged, all-Beach Boys version of Won't You Tell Me, but alas...

[mikeyj]

Off the top of my head (not counting stuff I haven't heard):

1) Big Sur (alternate version)
2) Life Is for the Living
3) Carry Me Home
4) Stevie
5) Won't You Tell Me

And I'd also love to see the original mix of "Lady" on CD at some stage

[Mike's Beard]

1/ Michael Row the Boat Ashore.
2/ Mike Come Back to LA
3/ Carry Me Home
4/ Glow Cresent Glow
5/ Ecology

[Smilin Ed H]

"Honorable mention (because what good is making a list if you can't ignore the OP's original instructions...and instead cheat...lol)"

Jeez, I know  

So my second five would be (and thanks, Mikie, for jarring my memory):

My Solution
We Got Love
Come to the Sunshine
I've Got A Friend
Stevie

And I'm sorely tempted by...

I Was Made to Love Her with acappella bridge
Sea Cruise
On Broadway
Original Santa Ana Winds
Little Red Book

[Cabinessenceking]

Surf's Up (live early 70's)
Cool Cool Water (live early 70's)
My Solution
Carry Me Home
In The Back Of My Mind (1975)

[Mendota Heights]

I'm Going Your Way
Battle Hymn of the Republic
New England Waltz
Walkin'
Oh Lord

Bonus: Why Don't You Tell Me (not sure this is the correct title, it's from the Cocaine Sessions)

[phirnis]

Stevie
Calendar Girl
Carry Me Home
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Santa Ana Winds - pre-KTSA recording

Also, count me in on the ones who'd love to hear that Burlesque song! Do we know this even exists?

[Please delete my account]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned (in any thread that I've seen) the instrumental When Girls Get Together.  The lyrics destroy the song, IMO, but the track itself is very nice, and good enough to stand on its own.

Same thing for Salt Lake City.  The vocals are nails on a chalkboard to me, but the instrumental is fantastic.

As available on Stack-o-tracks, of course.

[shelter]

Lookin' Down The Coast!

[Sam_BFC]

At what point did The Beach Boys record a version of Sherry?

[AndrewHickey]

At what point did The Beach Boys record a version of Sherry?

According to AGD in the "MiC up for pre-order" thread, they didn't.

[Mikie]

I thought for sure I read somewhere that there was a recording of it. Guess not. They use to do it live in the early days with David.

[Mikie]

"Honorable mention (because what good is making a list if you can't ignore the OP's original instructions...and instead cheat...lol)"

Sorry for cheatin', Ed. Couldn't resist! 

[Sam_BFC]

At what point did The Beach Boys record a version of Sherry?

According to AGD in the "MiC up for pre-order" thread, they didn't.

Haha cheers, was just going through that thread and spotted his response!

[Jim V.]

Here's my five:

"Stevie" (B. Wilson) 1981
"Sweetie" (B. Wilson) 1981
"How's About A Little Bit of Your Sweet Lovin'" (B. Wilson/M. Love/D. Rovell/R. Altbach) 1979
"River Deep, Mountain High" (P. Spector/J. Berry/E. Greenwich) 1980
"All Day, All Night" (B. Wilson) 1967

There is definitely other stuff I'd like to hear, such as "Boys & Girls", a song Brian recorded in both 1979 and 1980, but I'm not sure there was ever a vocal put on either version? Anybody got info on that? AGD? "Burlesque" also sounds intriguing, and Jack Rieley had an interesting story about it, but we've never heard much about it. Was it even recorded? And if it was recorded, was it finished?

And then there's a few early '70s tracks which very little is known about. There's one called "Rooftop Harry", where an engineer recalled a session headed by Brian that included Michael Clarke from The Byrds and Bruce Johnston amongst others. I don't think the song was finished though, and who knows if it's even in The Beach Boys vault. The other 1972 track is called "Funky Fever", and on AGD's site it says it's a Brian Wilson cowrite with David Sandler. However, when I contacted David Sandler about this song, he simply recalled that it was a song of his that was recorded at Ike Turner's studio and that he didn't remember much about it. He also recalled recording the "Baby I Need Your Lovin'/Gimme Some Lovin'" track with Brian at Brian's house, saying that he thinks it's an excellent track.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors". 

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

Garbage? I'd say my version is pretty listenable.

I didn't say it was unlistenable, I said the sound quality was garbage but maybe there's a version floating around that I haven't heard.

[Generation42]

I'll ask again, as my questions were either buried, or dismissed,  in another thread:

Concerning the July 1984 recording of "Oh, Lord," Bellagio says the song was reportedly attempted, but do we know whether any vocals were ever put to tape for this?  Moreover, is it known if the tapes survive, in the possession of BRI?  What's the full scoop, as things stand today?

Regarding the sessions which gave rise to the demo version of "Oh, Lord," I've forgotten, but I believe these were multi-tracked, correct?  Do the source tapes for these sessions survive, as well?  And again, are they under BRI's control, or are they in the possession of the man (his name slips my mind) who recorded Brian and Dennis?

I'd sure have loved to have heard a fully-realized rendition of this song by Brian / The Beach Boys, but assuming they never see fit to tackle it in the future, these may well be as good as it gets, as far as any potential future releases are concerned.

[Days of Broken Arrows]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors".  

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

I heard they couldn't find a proper master for "Carry Me Home." Shame too, because I second (or third) everyone here who says it's a powerful piece of music. I first heard it on the "California Feeling" LP in the '80s and more than anything it convinced me Dennis was a first-rate talent. Who leaves something like that unreleased? I've read the quote where he talks about it (in the Byron Preiss book? Can't remember), saying it didn't fit with the Beach Boys. But it should have come out somewhere.

I agree with everyone else who wants "Big Sur" in 4/4 time,"Santa Ana Winds" (early version), "I'm Begging You Please."

But I have one request:

"All This is That" -- the early version. This version is spoken about at length in the Preiss book. It was Al's original draft of the song before Carl and Mike modified it by going in and recording a new melody on different tracks. You can hear Al's original vocal in spots "underneath" the first verse of the released version -- it's that vocal line that pops up now and again (I'm pretty sure that's not a backing vocal, that's an unused vocal line faded in and out). This might be worthy of a post itself. Has anyone ever noticed this but me? It goes like this:

"...into the pool of peace inside..."
Right channel original vocal line: "...travel..."
"two waves and I..."
Right channel original vocal line: "....make a difference to me..."

There's more to it than that, but if you know what to look for, it's easy to spot. I've been curious about this for a long time, so if anyone had noticed it I'd like to know...

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors". 

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

I heard they couldn't find a proper master for "Carry Me Home." Shame too, because I second (or third) everyone here who says it's a powerful piece of music. I first heard it on the "California Feeling" LP in the '80s and more than anything it convinced me Dennis was a first-rate talent. Who leaves something like that unreleased? I've read the quote where he talks about it (in the Byron Preiss book? Can't remember), saying it didn't fit with the Beach Boys. But it should have come out somewhere.

That said, I also think the "Big Sur" in 4/4 time blows away the one on "Holland," which is saying something because I always loved that version. If "Our Team" can get an official release, maybe they could find this worthy someday...
 

Oi, don't knock Our Team. It's great!

[Days of Broken Arrows]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors". 

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

I heard they couldn't find a proper master for "Carry Me Home." Shame too, because I second (or third) everyone here who says it's a powerful piece of music. I first heard it on the "California Feeling" LP in the '80s and more than anything it convinced me Dennis was a first-rate talent. Who leaves something like that unreleased? I've read the quote where he talks about it (in the Byron Preiss book? Can't remember), saying it didn't fit with the Beach Boys. But it should have come out somewhere.

That said, I also think the "Big Sur" in 4/4 time blows away the one on "Holland," which is saying something because I always loved that version. If "Our Team" can get an official release, maybe they could find this worthy someday...
 

Oi, don't knock Our Team. It's great!

Haha - I modified my post and removed that...tried to make things more constructive.

[MaxL]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors".  

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

I heard they couldn't find a proper master for "Carry Me Home." Shame too, because I second (or third) everyone here who says it's a powerful piece of music. I first heard it on the "California Feeling" LP in the '80s and more than anything it convinced me Dennis was a first-rate talent. Who leaves something like that unreleased? I've read the quote where he talks about it (in the Byron Preiss book? Can't remember), saying it didn't fit with the Beach Boys. But it should have come out somewhere.

I agree with everyone else who wants "Big Sur" in 4/4 time,"Santa Ana Winds" (early version), "I'm Begging You Please."

But I have one request:

"All This is That" -- the early version. This version is spoken about at length in the Preiss book. It was Al's original draft of the song before Carl and Mike modified it by going in and recording a new melody on different tracks. You can hear Al's original vocal in spots "underneath" the first verse of the released version -- it's that vocal line that pops up now and again (I'm pretty sure that's not a backing vocal, that's an unused vocal line faded in and out). This might be worthy of a post itself. Has anyone ever noticed this but me? It goes like this:

"...into the pool of peace inside..."
Right channel original vocal line: "...travel..."
"two waves and I..."
Right channel original vocal line: "....make a difference to me..."

There's more to it than that, but if you know what to look for, it's easy to spot. I've been curious about this for a long time, so if anyone had noticed it I'd like to know...

I've always wandered about those "ghost" lines and at times thought I was hearing things. Interesting to hear something of an explanation, would very interested in learning more about this.

[Dave Modny]

"Honorable mention (because what good is making a list if you can't ignore the OP's original instructions...and instead cheat...lol)"

Sorry for cheatin', Ed. Couldn't resist! 

That was actually my original quote, Mikie. I think (& hope!) Ed forgives us for our transgressions...lol. 

[Mikie]

"Honorable mention (because what good is making a list if you can't ignore the OP's original instructions...and instead cheat...lol)"

Sorry for cheatin', Ed. Couldn't resist! 

That was actually my original quote, Mikie. I think (& hope!) Ed forgives us for our transgressions...lol. 

Dave, Smilin' Ed's a real cool head. A kind, caring, forgiving soul. Another refugee from the Cabinessence board, the bad guys know him and they leave him alone.   

[The Shift]

I've heard it said on here that Carry Me Home was dropped from the final track-list because Brian found it too upsetting...

Is this just rumours or is it based in fact or what? It seems likely really, considering how Brian is on record as having been so affected by Dennis' death and what with the song containing lyrics such as 'I'm afraid to die'.

But it's a pity because it's a stunning song.

 It's a shame, but at least "Carry Me Home" is fairly common in the hands of "collectors". 

Yeah, but the sound quality is garbage.

I heard they couldn't find a proper master for "Carry Me Home." Shame too, because I second (or third) everyone here who says it's a powerful piece of music. I first heard it on the "California Feeling" LP in the '80s and more than anything it convinced me Dennis was a first-rate talent. Who leaves something like that unreleased? I've read the quote where he talks about it (in the Byron Preiss book? Can't remember), saying it didn't fit with the Beach Boys. But it should have come out somewhere.

I agree with everyone else who wants "Big Sur" in 4/4 time,"Santa Ana Winds" (early version), "I'm Begging You Please."

But I have one request:

"All This is That" -- the early version. This version is spoken about at length in the Preiss book. It was Al's original draft of the song before Carl and Mike modified it by going in and recording a new melody on different tracks. You can hear Al's original vocal in spots "underneath" the first verse of the released version -- it's that vocal line that pops up now and again (I'm pretty sure that's not a backing vocal, that's an unused vocal line faded in and out). This might be worthy of a post itself. Has anyone ever noticed this but me? It goes like this:

"...into the pool of peace inside..."
Right channel original vocal line: "...travel..."
"two waves and I..."
Right channel original vocal line: "....make a difference to me..."

There's more to it than that, but if you know what to look for, it's easy to spot. I've been curious about this for a long time, so if anyone had noticed it I'd like to know...

I've always wandered about those "ghost" lines and at times thought I was hearing things. Interesting to hear something of an explanation, would very interested in learning more about this.

Chalk me up as very curious too. Hadn't real sued they were superseded lines and always thought their ethereal quality added an extra layer of mystique to the song; would love to hear them in isolation, perhaps on MiC vol 2?

Would appreciate any light anyone can shed on them.