What is and isn't a SMiLE session

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Here is a list of SMiLE sessions, in order by date, that I have compiled using Darren Lawrence's SMILE JUST THE FACTS, Lou Shenk's SMILE PRIMER, and my own judgement.  What would you add to the list, and why?  What would remove from the list, and why?  What would you leave on the list but change, and why?

11-May-1966 – 14 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
24-May-1966 – 9 Musicians – Sunset Sound – Good Vibrations.
25-May-1966 – 3 Musicians – Sunset Sound – Good Vibrations.
27-May-1966 – 13 Musicians – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations.
02-Jun-1966 – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations
12-Jun-1966 – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations
13-Jun-1966 – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations
16-Jun-1966 – 8 Musicians – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations.
18-Jun-1966 – 9 Musicians + Carl – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations.
03-Aug-1966 – 13 Musicians + Carl – Goldstar Recorders – Wind Chimes.
12-Aug-1966 – 11 Musicians – Western Recorders – I Ran (AKA Look)
24-Aug-1966 – Sunset Sound – Good Vibrations
25-Aug-1966 – 5 Musicians + Brian & Dennis – Western Recorders – Wind Chimes.
01-Sep-1966 – 5 Musicians + Carl, Dennis, Brian – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations.
08-Sep-1966 – 9 Musicians + Van, Brian, Carl & Dennis – Western Recorders – Holidays.
12-Sep-1966 – Western Recorders – Good Vibrations
19-Sep-1966 – Beach Boys – Columbia Recorders – Prayer.
20-Sep-1966 – Dennis – Columbia Recorders – unknown.
21-Sep-1966 – 1 Musician – Columbia Recorders – Good Vibrations.
22-Sep-1966 – Columbia Recorders – unknown.
23-Sep-1966 – Columbia Recorders – unknown.
03-Oct-1966 – 13 Musicians + Van & Carl – Goldstar Recorders – Cabin Essense.
04-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Prayer.
05-Oct-1966 – 3 Musicians + Van, Brian & Carl – Western Recorders – Wind Chimes.
06-Oct-1966 – Brian Only – Goldstar Studios – Wonderful.
07-Oct-1966 – 7 Musicians + Carl & Brian – Western Recorders – Child Is Father Of The Man.
10-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Wind Chimes.
11-Oct-1966 – 6 Musicians + Carl & Brian – Western Recorders – Cabin Essense.
12-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Child Is Father Of The Man.
13-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – I Ran.
17-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – GoldStar Recorders – I´m In Great Shape.
18-Oct-1966 – 7 Musicians + Van – Western Recorders – Do You Like Worms.
20-Oct-1966 – 8 Musicians + Van – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains, Barnyard.
21-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Do You Like Worms
27-Oct-1966 – 4 Musicians + Van & Brian – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains, I´m In Great Shape.
04-Nov-1966 – 6 Musicians – Western Recorders – Surf´s Up.
07-Nov-1966 – 5 Musicians – Western Recorders – Surf´s Up.
08-Nov-1966 – 2 Musicians – Western Recorders – Surf´s Up.
11-Nov-1966 – Vegetable Chants.
14-Nov-1966 – 15 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – The Old Master Painter.
16-Nov-1966 – Vegetable Arguments.
28-Nov-1966 – 16 Musicians – GoldStar Recorders – Mr´s O´Leary´s Cow.
29-Nov-1966 – 6 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – I Wanna Be Around / Friday Night.
30-Nov-1966 – Beach Boys – GoldStar Recorders – The Old Master Painter.
02-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Child Is Father Of The Man.
05-Dec-1966 – Western Recorders – Fire.
06-Dec-1966 – "Brian + 5" – Goldstar Recorders – Cabin Essense & Child is the father?
13-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains, You´re Welcome.
15-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Columbia Recorders – Surf´s Up, Wonderful.
16-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Columbia Recorders – You´re Welcome.
19-Dec-1966 – 17 Musicians – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
21-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Columbia Recorders – Do You Like Worms.
22-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
27-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains, Cabin Essence.
28-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
03-Jan-1967 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
05-Jan-1967 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Do You Like Worms
05-Jan-1967 – 4 Musicians + Van – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains, Do You Like Worms.
06-Jan-1967 – 4 Musicians – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
09-Jan-1967 – 4 Musicians – Western Recorders – Wonderful.
12-Jan-1967 – 7 Musicians – Western Recorders – I Don´t Know.
20-Jan-1967 – 4 Musicians + Brian – Columbia "Not but used." – Heroes & Villains.
23-Jan-1967 – 8 Musicians + Carl – Western Recorders – Surf´s Up.
27-Jan-1967 – Cantina Tracking – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
31-Jan-1967 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
03-Feb-1967 – 1 Musician – Columbia Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
07-Feb-1967 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
08-Feb-1967 – Tracking – Columbia Recorders – Surf´s Up.
09-Feb-1967 – Mike and Brian – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
10-Feb-1967 – Brian Only – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
14-Feb-1967 – 2 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – Little Red Book.
15-Feb-1967 – 19 Musicians + Van – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
18-Feb-1967 – Brian – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
20-Feb-1967 – Western Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
21-Feb-1967 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
24-Feb-1967 – Brian Only – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
26-Feb-1967 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
27-Feb-1967 – Tracking for Part 2 – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
28-Feb-1967 – Fade to Heroes & Villains – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
01-Mar-1967 – 8 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
02-Mar-1967 – 4 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – Heroes & Villains.
03-Mar-1967 – 10 Musicians – Sound Recorders – Tones.
13-Mar-1967 – Beach Boys – Sound Recorders – Tones.
15-Mar-1967 – 3 Musicians – Western Recorders – Tones.
31-Mar-1967 – Tracking – Sound Recorders – Tones.
04-Apr-1967 – Beach Boys – Sound Recorders – Vegetables.
05-Apr-1967 – Tracking, Beach Boys – Western Recorders – Vegetables.
06-Apr-1967 – Tracking – Western Recorders – Vegetables.
07-Apr-1967 – Tracking, Beach Boys – Columbia – Vegetables.
10-Apr-1967 – Beach Boys – Western Recorders – Vegetables.
11-Apr-1967 – 5 Musicians + Beach Boys – Western Recorders – Vegetables, Tones.
12-Apr-1967 – Beach Boys + 11 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders. – Vegetables "Fade to Vegetables".
13-Apr-1967 – Brian only – Western Recorders – Vegetables.
14-Apr-1967 – Brian only – Western Recorders – Vegetables.
16-May-1967 – 6 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – I Love to Say Da Da.
17-May-1967 – 10 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – I Love to Say Da Da.
18-May-1967 – 9 Musicians – Goldstar Recorders – I Love to Say Da Da.

[Chris Brown]

"Tones" was a Carl thing, not intended for Smile, so I'd lose that.

[Roger Ryan]

20-Jan-1967 – 4 Musicians + Brian – Columbia "Not but used." – Heroes & Villains.
 

What does "Not but used" mean?

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

I wouldn't count Good Vibrations. It was made before the majority of work with SMiLE was started on. Good Vibrations seemed to be the inspiration for the following recording sessions to the SMiLE tunes.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

20-Jan-1967 – 4 Musicians + Brian – Columbia "Not but used." – Heroes & Villains.
 

What does "Not but used" mean?

From what I understand, this was a H&V recording that Brian decided to not use.  So I guess that should read "Not used."

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

I wouldn't count Good Vibrations. It was made before the majority of work with SMiLE was started on. Good Vibrations seemed to be the inspiration for the following recording sessions to the SMiLE tunes.

I guess that's why most people use the August 3 date as the SMiLE starting date.  Though that means the first H&V date is left out.  Hmm.

[PMcC]

NICE LIST. Thanks.

[Rerun]

What is "Little Red Book?"

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

What is "Little Red Book?"

Yeah, he's right.

Little Red Book was done as just Brian at the piano singing in a mock-emotional voice. It wouldn't be anything except what it ism, sitting on tape.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

What is "Little Red Book?"

http://www.smileysmile.net/littleredbook.html#topredbook

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

I think he meant it as a way to point out the fact that it isn't SMiLE related in anyway. While small covers were done for the album (Gee, Friday Night, I Wanna Be Around) Obviously Little Red Book was a messing around thing late one night.

[Bill Barnyard]

I would also exclude 'You're Welcome' as that was apparantly never meant for SMiLE and Dennis's 'I Don't Know'.

 

[Bicyclerider]

I'd keep it all.  Tones in particular - it was recorded under the same project number as Smile.  Doesn't mean it was meant for Smile, but it might have been.  At that time Brian was struggling with what to include and not include for Smile, what to finish and what to junk, there was controversy over the Van Dyke Parks material, particularly with Cabinessence and Surf's Up, and Brian may very well have put Tones on the LP if it had come out.  Well, and if Carl had finished it.

Dennis' I Don't Know - this is more problematic, I can't see Brian putting a Dennis track on the LP at this point, but who knows.  I don't.

The Sept. Dennis Columbia Recorders session must be a vocal overdub on something.

[XY]

15-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Columbia Recorders – Surf´s Up, Wonderful.

don't forget "Cabin Essence" & possibly the Water-chant.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

NICE LIST. Thanks.

Thanks, though I should point out Darren and Lou did all the hard work.  I just made a few adjustements.

[Been Too Long]

Sorry, i haven't posted on here in a while.
just a few things i noticed about this list, i've been keeping my own updated session list over the past several years.

this session is a mistake:
21-Oct-1966 – Beach Boys – Goldstar Recorders – Do You Like Worms
i think it was Andrew Doe who realized recently that he had made the mistake. he had meant:
"21-Dec-1966 – Beach Boys – Columbia Recorders – Do You Like Worms" but had at some point put down 10-21 instead of 12-21 and it has just kept going. no sessions were held 10-21 that was the day before the Michigan Concert from which the Beach Boys left immediately afterwards for Europe for a month.

11-Oct-1966 – 6 Musicians + Carl & Brian – Western Recorders – Cabin Essense
this is mislabeled, on the session log, as "Cabin Essence" but is really the second "Child is Father of the Man" session. Not only does the instrumentation match up but also the musicians are exactly the same for both sessions except for Hal Blaine and Frank Capp on percussion at the first session (chorus and original verse) replaced by Oliver Mitchell on trumpet at the second session (chorus overdub, replacement verse, and bridge). Later that evening (the 11th) there was a Beach Boys vocal session at Columbia (which this list is missing) for "Home on the Range," the title that CE was tracked under on Oct 3rd.
What appears to have happened is on the 11th ,Child was tracked during the day then that evening was the Home on the Range vocal session. when the session logs were being filled out by whomever, Brian mentions to them that the title has been changed to Cabin Essence but it is Child that is incorrectly renamed.

i also notice that A LOT of the studio info is incorrect. Most of the vocal sessions took place at Columbia and not Gold Star but i'll have to dig my session list out when i can get to it to be able to be exact.

If you cut Good Vibes you should cut DaDa. at least Vibes was on the track list; DaDa was recorded after SMiLE was "scraped".

I know this is off topic but has anyone ever wondered about the Dec 27 and 28 1966 sessions at Columbia. 5 hrs each on two consecutive days between Christmas and New Years, Brian by himself in the studio for 10hrs working on several SMiLE songs (Heroes, Who Ran The Iron Horse, and Wonderful) and adding some vocals. does this sound like a mixing session for an album "to be released sometime after January 1st" to anyone else? just curious.

-Been Waaay Too Long

[Daniel S.]

Brian by himself?

Chuck Britz or another engineer wouldn't have been present?

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

i also notice that A LOT of the studio info is incorrect. Most of the vocal sessions took place at Columbia and not Gold Star but i'll have to dig my session list out when i can get to it to be able to be exact.

When I get a chance, I'll start comparing the list to the BWPS section of the site to see what needs to be corrected.

If you cut Good Vibes you should cut DaDa. at least Vibes was on the track list; DaDa was recorded after SMiLE was "scraped".

Maybe the stuff before August 3 is "post Pet Sounds, pre Smile," and the stuff after April 14 is "post Smile, pre Smiley Smile."  Or maybe the May sessions should count, as it was Derek Taylor who announced Smile was scrapped, not Brian.  As I understand, it's accepted that Smiley Smile started in June 67 because that's when Brian told the band he wasn't going to use any Smile recordings on the next album.

[Been Too Long]

Brian by himself?

Chuck Britz or another engineer wouldn't have been present?

sorry, yes, got to have an engineer. but just the Engineer, the Producer and a bunch of tapes. no other musicians contracted for 10 hrs of sessions.

-Been Too Long

[Daniel S.]

Has this other person/engineer ever given an interview. Can we find out what Brian was doing?

[Bicyclerider]

I think I may be the source of the Oct/Dec Worms confusion.  It was in my Smile primer and apparently copied by Badman, but Andrew Doe checked and indeed it was December, not October.  I must have made a typo or misread my own handwriting when typing the thing.  I have since corrected and updated the Smile primer (it's on the smileshop site, but the update has not yet been posted) - anyone who wants one, pm me.

The intensive late December activity suggests to me that Brian was trying to finish the album for a January release, but I doubt it was final mixes.  More likely vocals, and perhaps missing lead vocals to Cabinessence, Worms, and maybe even Child.  Lost in Columbia Recorders somewhere with the Good Vibrations vocal multitracks.

[Been Too Long]

The intensive late December activity suggests to me that Brian was trying to finish the album for a January release, but I doubt it was final mixes.  More likely vocals, and perhaps missing lead vocals to Cabinessence, Worms, and maybe even Child.  Lost in Columbia Recorders somewhere with the Good Vibrations vocal multitracks.

Yeah, i remember a few years ago that the idea on these sessions was that Brian had given up on the band and decided to record the whole album over again with just his voice and so tried it on these two days. i never bought into that as less then a week later Brian was running intense vocal sessions with the rest of the Beach Boys for several songs on January 3rd and 5th.

The thing is most of the SMiLE songs had had plenty of opportunity to have a lead vocal recorded. if i'm remembering right: Child had THREE logged vocal sessions, Cabin had two, Worms had two, Wonderful had two, Heroes had one and an insert session; Painter, Surf's Up, Great Shape, and Chimes each had at least one vocal session. i would have to believe that somewhere along the line in all these sessions some leads would have been cut. SMiLE was at one point suppose to come out before Christmas so i would think some work on all these leads would have been done in preparation of that.

Anyways the reason i was wondering about this being a mix session is because of the story someone (maybe Jim Lockhart?) related about the SMiLEY mix session that took place in one night. i don't have it available right now but these sessions seem to be very similar to that one. Brian probably was overdubbing a few final vocal bits onto some of the tapes but it seems a little extreme for him to be tracking 10 hrs. worth of lead vocals. don't get me wrong here, i'm not saying he ended up with "SMiLE the album" all mixed down and ready for pressing on the 28th, though that may have been the intent. it just seems like at this point that all the tracks should have been complete to the point that they were just awaiting the few inserts and overdubs recorded on jan. 3rd and 5th, then Brian went on his two month long Heroes exploration.

i think you're exactly right; Good Vibrations’ vocals are probably in the same place as Great Shape, Child, Heroes '66, Cabin, Worms, Surf's Up, etc.

-Been Too Long

[XY]

Don't forget: A lot of SMILE Vocal sessions aren't documented. When the BB were doing a session, not every little piece had to be noted on the session sheet. They maybe did a 3 hour session documented as "Wonderful", but also recorded vocals for other songs.
Who knows, maybe it's true what Brian told all these years: He completed and mixed the songs, gave them to Capitol, they didn't like it, Brian destroyed 'the Master Tapes' and started re-recording the songs.

[Been Too Long]

Looking at the list, if you're going on the completist route with Tones, I Don't Know, and Little Red Book, you should include the Jasper Daily sessions: "Teeter Totter Love" and "Crack that Whip."

By the way, didn't someone once post that Little Red Book was just recorded as a gift for Marilyn, that might take it out of contention for the Heroes B Side.

Posted by: Jasper
Who knows, maybe it's true what Brian told all these years: He completed and mixed the songs, gave them to Capitol, they didn't like it, Brian destroyed 'the Master Tapes' and started re-recording the songs.

wow, i don't know that i remember ever hearing that exact statement in relation to SMiLE. Maybe that's the source of the late April announcement that "All 12 tracks are complete" followed about a week later by the "SMiLE is scraped" statement.

Posted by: Jasper
Don't forget: A lot of SMILE Vocal sessions aren't documented. When the BB were doing a session, not every little piece had to be noted on the session sheet. They maybe did a 3 hour session documented as "Wonderful", but also recorded vocals for other songs.

Yes this also explains the existence of stuff like the early Vega-Tables and water chant without documented sessions and also the explanation for sessions like the January 3rd session logged as a Heroes session but including inserts for Vega- Tables and maybe The Elements too. This also seems to be the case for tracking sessions like the January 5th session logged as Heroes but including part of Worms and, i seemed to remember hearing that the piano tag to Wind Chimes was recorded at a Surf's Up session.

Either way the point is still that there where plenty of vocal sessions to knock out the lead vocals without the need for some marathon sessions to record all the leads at the last minute in 2 days. we also have recorded evidence of other Beach Boys singing leads on Wonderful, Heroes and maybe Cabin from around that time so it almost seems that if the 27th and 28th were intended for the overdubbing of leads for those logged songs, more of the Beach Boys than just Brian would be included and listed on those sessions.

---Been Too Long

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Looking at the list, if you're going on the completist route with Tones, I Don't Know, and Little Red Book, you should include the Jasper Daily sessions: "Teeter Totter Love" and "Crack that Whip."

Those definitely weren't being recorded for SMiLE however.   They were a side project for Jasper Daily.  The other songs are not outside the realm of being SMiLE songs, in my mind.