Vegetables - Laughing Gravy

[LeeDempsey]

I've just confirmed that the version that is on Varese's JAN AND DEAN'S GOLDEN SUMMER DAYS - THE LEGENDARY MASKED SURFERS AND Varese's DEAN TORRENCE ANTHOLOGY -- LEGENDARY MASKED SURFER UNMASKED are one and the same.  They are the later version overdubbed by Brian, Marilyn, and Diane.  Brian is most audible on the line "I'm red as a beet, cause I'm so embarrassed."

The Laughing Gravy version uses the same backing track, but the vocals are much sparser.  The easiest way to tell the Laughing Gravy version is at the end, where the background vocalists chant "Carrots, celery," on the original 1968 version you hear some young children (who must have been asked to help with the chant) squeal in amusement.  I wonder if Dean remembers who they were.

Lee

[Rocker]

Talking about The Laughing Gravy, this was just posted on facebook. Brian doin' his best Stan Laurel:

[bgas]

Talking about The Laughing Gravy, this was just posted on facebook. Brian doin' his best Stan Laurel:

I wonder if there's one from Mike somewhere

[Rocker]

There is potential...

[onkster]

I don't see anything addressing this here, so I'll just ask: is the backing track to the Laughing Gravy single a backing track from Brian's actual SMiLE sessions or no? (I haven't had the SMiLE #2 vinyl for years, so I haven't heard it in so long I can't recall what it sounds like. Other than I always liked the list of veggies sung over the outro--wish the BB's had done that too...)

[Mitchell]

I don't think so, though it was rumoured to be at the time.

The Brian/Spring version is also on the Pet Projects CD. Don't think I've heard the original! (the link AGD posted I think was the Spring one; sounds like the one I've got)

[LeeDempsey]

I think the assertion that the Laughing Gravy track was an unused SMiLE track originated in Brad Elliott's book.  Since then I think facts have proven that that assertion was incorrect.

I've always wondered about the session for "Vegetables" that Rodney Bingenheimer says he attended.  He says that he yelled "TV dinners and tomatoes" when asked to yell his favorite vegetables.  "TV dinners" a vegetable?... I don't think Rodney was a Rhodes Scholar...

Lee

[Mr. Cohen]

It's easy to see where the yelling would fit in. Imagine that a capella bit with someone shouting out the name of their favorite vegetable at the end. Then people shouting out all kinds of stuff during the more fleshed out instrumental.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't see anything addressing this here, so I'll just ask: is the backing track to the Laughing Gravy single a backing track from Brian's actual SMiLE sessions or no?

Nope. Long-disproven BB urban myth.

I think the assertion that the Laughing Gravy track was an unused SMiLE track originated in Brad Elliott's book. 

Correctamundo: on p. 180 of the original edition, it is stated "According to [Dean] Torrence, "Vegetables" was recorded during the Smiley Smile sessions. Dean sings lead over a backing track that may be a Smile relic."

In fact, subsequent research established that Brian had no direct involvement with the LG version whatsoever.

[ESQ Editor]

Hope they get it right.

[Steve Latshaw]

<<Correctamundo: on p. 180 of the original edition, it is stated "According to [Dean] Torrence, "Vegetables" was recorded during the Smiley Smile sessions. Dean sings lead over a backing track that may be a Smile relic.">>

This was tracked in Joe Osborn's garage, same place Dean produced the sessions for the first, mono version of Save For A Rainy Day.